Current funding opportunities

2025 Projects
We offer funding of up to $1,200,000 for research projects that have the potential to vastly improve the health of New Zealanders. Projects can cover a diverse range of areas, from biomedical and public health to clinical studies, Māori-focused research, and Pacific health research. Most projects have a term of three years, but we can negotiate terms of up to five years.

2025 Emerging Researcher First GrantsApplications open
These grants provide research funds to develop the research skills and capability needed in areas of importance and priority for New Zealand – both now and for the future. They support emerging researchers who are seeking to establish independent careers in health research. Up to a maximum of $400,000 for three years is available.

2025 ProgrammesApplications open
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 are required to 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 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.

Recent funding opportunities

2024 Explorer Grants
Researchers from any health discipline are invited to apply for one of the HRC’s Explorer Grants. Proposals must describe the transformative, innovative or exploratory aspects of the proposal and how it challenges conventional understanding in the field. Explorer Grants are worth $150,000 (research working expenses only) for a term of up to 24 months.

2024 Health Delivery Research Activation Grant 1
The Health Delivery Research Activation Grant provides support to enable established or prospective researchers and/or research providers to establish health delivery research evidence needs or research opportunities before applying for further health delivery funding. Up to $30,000 is available over a maximum term of 12 months.

2024 Health Delivery Research Activation Grant 2
The Health Delivery Research Activation Grants provides support to enable established or prospective researchers and/or research providers to establish health delivery research evidence needs or research opportunities before applying for further health delivery funding. Up to $30,000 is available over a maximum term of 12 months.

2024 Health Delivery Research Career Development Award 1
The Health Delivery Research Career Development Award is a career development opportunity with a funded placement in a health delivery research team or health sector setting. It is designed as an alternative pathway into health delivery research aimed at attracting more people with relevant skills into this discipline. The award is available to fund salary and salary associated costs of the applicant over a maximum term of 12 months.

2024 Health Delivery Research Career Development Award 2
The Health Delivery Research Career Development Award is a career development opportunity with a funded placement in a health delivery research team or health sector setting. It is designed as an alternative pathway into health delivery research aimed at attracting more people with relevant skills into this discipline. The award is available to fund salary and salary associated costs of the applicant over a maximum term of 12 months.

2024 Health Delivery Research Project Grant
The Health Delivery Research Project Grant provides support for health delivery research of varying values and durations. The research must be connected to health delivery at a practice, policy or system-level. At a minimum, this requires having Named Investigators based in healthcare delivery settings with involvement to shape the research need, undertake the research, and identify translational potential. The HRC expects to fund a range of grant values and durations up to a maximum term of 5 years and a maximum value of $1.4 million.