Researchers Secure Early Success in Horizon Europe Funding Round
Research proposals from Professors Peter Hunter and Merryn Tawhai of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Professor Ralph Buck and senior lecturer Sarah Foster Sproull of Dance Studies in the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries have been selected for funding from the world’s largest research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe.
In 2023, New Zealand became an associated country, enabling researchers to lead or join research consortia on equal terms with European counterparts and receive funding.
Professors Hunter and Buck have been successful in Horizon Europe Pillar 2, which addresses major global challenges such as climate change and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and which has total funding of about $NZ90 billion from 2021 to 2026.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Professor Frank Bloomfield said, “Association with Horizon Europe opens up enormous opportunities for University of Auckland and New Zealand researchers to take existing European collaborations to a new level and to build new international linkages, taking our excellent research to the world through access to one of the world’s largest funding sources for research and innovation.”
He said the successful proposals reflected the breadth of the University’s research disciplines and demonstrated that the University’s research is competitive globally. The two research programmes are going through the grant preparation phase and subject to final sign off will begin in early 2024.
Professor Hunter is an international expert on ‘virtual twins’, whereby digital representations of a person becomes an invaluable health tool. The Virtual Twins project will create the tools for personalised clinical care. The total project has funding of about $NZ21.75 million with $1.83m for the New Zealand research team.
Professor Buck will work with Nord University on the D@RTS – dialoguing@rts – Advancing Cultural Literacy for Social Inclusion through the Dialogical Arts Education programme.
The programme uses the performing arts in communities and schools to lift cultural literacy in diverse populations and enhance social cohesion through the support of diverse people to share their experience and stories.
The total Horizon Europe funding is about $NZ5.3m with $NZ260,000 for the New Zealand research contribution.