Marsden Fund
Funds the established in and named after physicist Ernest Marsden, is New Zealand's pre-eminent vehicle for investigator-led basic research.
The Marsden Fund, established in 1994 and named after physicist Ernest Marsden, is New Zealand's pre-eminent vehicle for investigator-led basic research. It awards more than NZ$80M annually across approximately 100–130 projects, with a ~10% success rate from over 1,000 applications per year. Grants run for three years, with two main categories — Standard Grants (open to established and emerging researchers) and Fast-Start Grants (for researchers within seven years of their PhD) — plus occasional Council Awards for large interdisciplinary projects. In December 2024, the New Zealand Government narrowed the fund's scope by eliminating humanities and social sciences eligibility. The fund now focuses on physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, and biomedical sciences. Eligible applicants must be researchers at New Zealand universities, Crown Research Institutes, or other New Zealand-affiliated institutions with a NZ-based principal investigator.
Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.