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Autumn 2026 11 Round 2025B Grants awarded: 27 Total amount awarded: $3,182,514 Total funds requested: $14,625,176 Applications: 103 Brain injury Dr Vickie Shim University of Auckland $283,185 Developing a digital brain model to assess risk for young people who play contact sport. [See page 9] Dr Josh Faulkner Victoria University of Wellington $273,348 Testing a new therapy called ACTion mTBI, which has been shown to reduce disability and improve recovery for those with ongoing symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). [See page 9] First Fellowships Rare disorders Dr Sankalita Ray Das University of Otago $254,921 Diagnosing rare genetic disorders is difficult when there is not enough evidence to confirm the link between a gene change and a disorder. This can delay support and treatment. Using zebrafish and stem cells models, this study will investigate changes in the spliceosome, which is part of our cells essential for producing proteins. Showing that spliceosome mutations are responsible for a disorder would provide families with a diagnosis, and a platform could be established for genetic screening in patients affected by these rare conditions. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) Dr Christi Essex University of Auckland $241,312 Comparing MRI scans and microscope images of brain tissue from confirmed CTE cases to identify distinctive ‘fingerprints’ that could allow CTE to be diagnosed during life. [See page 9] VJ Chapman Fellowship Migraine Dr Susan Meredith, hosted by University of Toronto $199,630 Migraine is a leading cause of disability for people under 50, with significant impact on work and career. Dr Meredith will travel to Canada to develop and test an online education programme – Workplace Awareness through Virtual Education (WAVE) – designed to help workplaces support employees with migraine. The programme will explain that migraine is a neurological condition, describe its impact, and suggest ways to create migraine-friendly environments. The results from this fellowship could guide similar initiatives in New Zealand to reduce stigma and improve workplace support for people with migraine. “My scientific journey has always focused on solving the deepest mysteries behind human disease. I studywhat goeswrong inside our cells – how the body's genetic instructions get scrambled, which causes illness. “My truemotivation is using this knowledge to provide practical answers anddiagnostic clarity to patients. I realised themost critical, overlooked areawas rare brain development disorders, where identifying the precise genetic error is the only clear path toward treatment.” Dr Sankalita Ray Das