Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund
The government has invested $1.611m (excluding GST) in 2024 to support 14 projects. The Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund supported the objective of He Whenua Hihiri I Te Mahara - A Nation of Curious Minds by supporting projects that help New Zealanders, to learn about and to engage with science and technology.
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No further funding rounds are planned. For more information see news story:
Fund objectives
The Fund supported projects that help New Zealanders to learn about and to engage with science and technology, by:
- Funding education and community outreach initiatives that focus on science and technology.
- Broadening their ability to engage with science and technology.
- Promoting the relevance of science and technology in their lives.
- Supporting them to engage in societal debate about science and technology issues facing the country.
Fund outcomes
To enable:
- New Zealanders to understand the relevance of science and have the ability to use science to make informed decisions.
- Greater interest and uptake of higher education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
- Increased knowledge and visibility of different research methodologies, including kaupapa.
- Māori approaches and Pacific-centred research methods.
- Engagement with Mātauranga Māori as a knowledge system.
- The research, science and innovation system to connect to communities and respond to their needs.
Contact us
For more information, email curiousminds@mbie.govt.nz.
In this section
Successful 2024 Unlocking Curious Minds proposals
Through the 2024 funding round, the Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund is supporting 14 projects aimed at engaging more New Zealanders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).