June/July Funding Round The second funding round for 2024 was completed on the 18^th of July at the mid-year meeting of the MPPT Trust Board and applicants were advised of outcomes the following day. Trustees considered 95 applications and approved 45 grants-in-aid (totalling $234,180). Fifteen of 27 Project and Equipment, 27 of 63 Travel, and 3 of 5 Conference Support applications were approved for funding. Overall, the quality of the P&E applications was again high, with the cutoff score similar to the April funding round, and with scores for both rounds higher than for previous rounds in 2023. This was partly due to most applicants requesting the maximum ($25,000), with requests competing for limited funds due to lower-than-expected investment income, and partly due to a decision by the trustees late last year to increase the award amounts for the higher scoring applications. The trustees see this as encouraging the best of science where good ideas and approaches increase the likelihood of outcomes that advance understanding.

The trustees also reviewed two changes to the application process made at the April Trust Board meeting. The first concerned referee reports, requested by and sent to the applicants for inclusion in their Project and Equipment applications. For this round, applicants were asked to instruct their selected reviewers to email reports directly to the Trust. This proved to be successful with a noticeable lift in critical assessment which (paradoxically) helped most applicants achieve good scores. The second was a request to applicants to use a standard format for their CV. The preferred format, in common use, was the RS&T template. Again, this change helped the review process. Both changes have been incorporated into the Document guidelines for applicants and will be continued for future funding rounds.

The next funding round closes 1 October 2024 for Projects and Equipment (up to $25,000), Travel, and Conference Support. The following round for the same categories closes 1 March 2025.

As previously advised, please note that if you have a previous grant for which a report is outstanding, you will not be able to access the application templates or submit through the portal until the report is submitted. If a report is outstanding, you will see a notification when you log in to your dashboard. Note that submission of a report is sufficient to proceed; approval of the report by your institution is not required for you to continue with your new application.

Applicants are reminded that there is a one-year stand-down period for projects and travel. Further, applications for travel are only considered if the date of travel occurs after the relevant Board meeting. This means that there is no retrospective funding. 

Scholarships and Fellowships funded by the Trust can be found under the Scholarships and Fellowships page. Further information, including stipends payable, is available from institutional graduate student offices that administer the Trust’s programmes.

The office of the Trust is at 81 Grafton Rd, Auckland, the phone number for the Trust is 09 379 5316 and the email address for all Trust correspondence is mppt@mppt.nz.