Research funding success for Victoria University

Victoria University scientists will be progressing cutting-edge research in high-value areas after winning significant funding in the 2015 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment funding round.

Five Victoria projects have secured funding of $5 million over the next three years. 

Of these, three are led by the Ferrier Research Institute, one by the Robinson Research Institute and one by Associate Professor Anna La Flamme in the School of Biological Sciences and the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. 

Three of the projects are in drug development/biotechnology, a field in which Victoria has deepening capability says Professor Kate McGrath, Vice-Provost (Research).

The fourth project targets the shipping industry and aims to improve fuel efficiency and reduce the frequency with which ships are dry-docked. The fifth project focuses on the development of high frequency quartz oscillators targeting market opportunities in communications infrastructure.  

A number of Victoria researchers are also involved in projects led by researchers from other organisations. These include a project to engineer high-value enzymes using forward and reverse evolution, portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sensor technology for brain oxygenation monitoring and mitigating the emerging risks to New Zealand's electrical network from solar tsunamis.

“This is an outstanding result for Victoria and reflects our research capability in areas that are important to the New Zealand economy,” says Professor McGrath. 

“It also reflects the world-class research being done at Victoria and the international regard in which our scientists are held. 

“My congratulations go to all those who have received funding, with particular acknowledgement of the Ferrier Research Institute which has done extremely well in this funding round,” says Professor McGrath.

Three of the five projects Victoria had shortlisted in the Smart Ideas Phase 1 category were funded equating to 22 percent of the total funding in this category. The Smart Ideas fund aims to encourage novel researcher-led projects which promise big rewards if achieved. There were 14 awarded nationwide

Victoria has also been awarded two of the eight Targeted Research grants in the High Value Manufacturing and Services (HVMS) category. Targeted Research grants are projects involving close collaboration with industry partners that aim to implement the research to deliver real world impact. The two projects amount to 18 percent of the HVMS targeted research funding allocated across New Zealand in the 2015 round. 

The projects to receive funding are in the Smart Ideas Phase 1 category are:
  • Treating polyglutamine diseases with synthetic dendrimers – PEEs and Qs in the mind. Led by Dr Phillip Rendle in the Ferrier Research Institute. $1,000,000 over two years. This research aims to produce a novel, safe and effective treatment for some or all of the nine known polyQ diseases (genetically inherited rare diseases including Huntington’s) for which there is currently no cure.
  • Anti-Foul Marine Paints. Led by Dr Bradley Williams in the Ferrier Research Institute. $1,000,000 over two years. This research aims to produce paints that are capable of reducing or avoiding biofouling of ships’ hulls, a problem that currently causes significant economic and environmental losses for maritime industries.
  • Biofilm resistant materials for use in medical implants. Led by Professor Gary Evans of the Ferrier Research Institute. $1,000,000 over two years. This project targets the design and build of a material for artificial joint manufacture that is resistant to biofilm formation, a problem that can affect people who have received artificial hip and knee replacements.
The projects to receive funding are in the HVMS category are:
  • Repurposed drugs for multiple sclerosis: confirming suitability, regulatory process and mode of action. Led by Associate Professor Anne La Flamme. $1,200,000 over three years. This project, which is a collaboration with Douglas Pharmaceuticals, aims to develop a new treatment for a progressive form of multiple sclerosis (MS) for which there is currently no cure or therapeutic available. 
  • Enabling faster communication with 1GHz quartz oscillators. Led by Associate Professor Nicholas Long in the Robinson Research Institute. $800,000 over two years. This project targets the development of methods required for manufacturing high frequency quartz oscillators to exploit market opportunities in communications infrastructure.