Health Research Council (HRC) Programme Grants support high-performing teams to undertake a programme of health research in an area of importance and priority for New Zealand.

Research programmes must have a clear strategic goal, with specific research objectives that can tangibly contribute to improved health outcomes in New Zealand and/or demonstrate the potential to make a significant breakthrough within a field of health research.

Meaningful collaboration with others to collectively achieve health gains and deliver maximum value for the New Zealand’s public investment in health research is strongly encouraged. Up to $5 million is available over five years.

2027 Programme applications will be assessed through a two-stage process comprised of an Expression of Interest (EOI) application followed by a Full application.

Peer review is provided by assessing committees convened by the HRC whose members are experts in relevant areas of research. Full applications also undergo peer review by external experts.

Top ranked applications are shortlisted for the Programme Assessing Committee which provides a list of recommendations for fundable applications to the HRC Council who make the final funding decisions.

Programme categories

When applying for a Programme Grant, you need to select one of the following project categories:

• General: Supporting excellent ideas and innovations designed to improve health outcomes for New Zealanders.
• Rangahau Hauora Māori: Supporting Māori health research that contributes to Māori health gains, upholds rangatiratanga and utilises and advances Māori knowledge, resources, and people.

Programme applications focusing on Pacific health research or health delivery research can be submitted to the General category.

The same application cannot be submitted to different categories (i.e. you cannot submit the same application for both the General category and the Rangahau Hauora Māori category). The HRC does not provide advice on which project category you should choose.

Eligibility requirements

You can only submit one Programme application as the director (first named investigator) or co-director (co-first named investigator).

If you're applying as the director (or co-director) of an HRC Programme Grant, you'll need to meet specific requirements. Please refer to the 2027 Programme application guidelines for all the details.

We welcome proposals with co-directors and acknowledge the range of leadership skills and experience required to optimise the potential impact of a Programme Grant.

Please note the following criteria for the 2027 round:

• You cannot submit more than one Programme application as director or co-director.
• You can submit one Project application as first named investigator or co-first named investigator and one Programme application as director or co-director. This applies irrespective of whether the Project application is a part of the Programme application.

Health research priorities

New Zealand’s investment in health research must contribute to achieving the goals of the health system and the innovation, technology and science system. The HRC is the principal government funder of health research.

For the health system, the Government is committed to improving health outcomes by providing New Zealanders with timely access to high-quality health services. A key focus for the science system is to harness the benefits of research and innovation to drive economic transformation. The Government wants to ensure that the research it funds is progressing its priorities, and that they have a clear pathway to translate new ideas into successful commercial enterprise. Therefore, it is important for researchers and research organisations to identify how research to be funded by the HRC will add value and contribute to these goals and wider system performance.

In this funding round, Council will prioritise opportunities to invest in research that:

• Priority 1: maximises benefit for healthcare delivery, such as:
  • new models of care and treatments
  • improved effectiveness and efficiency
  • innovation and technology in healthcare, and/or
• Priority 2: contributes to achievement of the health and/or mental health and addiction targets, and/or
• Priority 3: enhances the development of clinician-researchers, and/or
• Priority 4: demonstrates a pathway to commercialisation and/or
• Priority 5: supports high-quality clinical trials, including those with a particular focus on cancer and/or blood cancers.

Changes in the 2027 Programme Grant guidelines

Our Council has set a clear purpose and scope for HRC funding so that we can run a robust, sustainable process that identifies the highest quality applications that meet the HRC priorities.

To achieve this, the HRC has made changes to the application and assessment processes for the 2027 Programme round to provide increased transparency to applicants on the considerations that inform funding decisions.

For the 2027 Programme Grant applications will be processed through two stages: an EOI application (new in 2027) and a Full application. The EOI stage involves a short application addressing the key expectations for Programme grants. Therefore, the funding round will open earlier than usual to allow time for EOI applications.

External peer review and applicant rebuttal have been reintroduced and will be part of the assessment of Full Programme applications in addition to assessing committee review and discussion.

Please carefully read the new guidelines, particularly the sections outlining eligibility, health research priorities, and HRC requirements before preparing your application so that your proposal aligns with the round’s requirements.

If your application aligns with one or more of the specified priorities, you will need to clearly articulate how in the most relevant sections of the application.

How do I apply?

First, you’ll need to ensure that you have an up-to-date profile on HRC Gateway. You will submit an EOI application online via HRC Gateway using the forms available below. Application guidelines are also available below.

Important points to note

Guidance on the research impact assessment criterion and feedback for applicants can be found here: Research Impact assessment slideshow.

Guidance on the Māori health advancement assessment criterion and examples of how to incorporate this in your research can be found here: Māori Health Advancement.

Guidance on the Rangahau Hauora Māori category and the goals that are required to be addressed in your research application can be found here: Rangahau Hauora Māori Investment Stream.

Got a question?

If you've read through the documents below and under the 'Helpful links' section on the right and still have a question about Programme Grant funding, please send an email to info@hrc.govt.nz and one of our team will be in touch.

Documents

Guidelines

2027 Programme EOI Application Guidelines
8 Jul, 2026 2:03pm - 885KB

Forms

2027 Programme EOI Application Form
8 Jul, 2026 2:04pm - 101KB