Successful 2023 Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund investment round proposals

Through the 2023 funding round, the Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund is supporting 12 projects aimed at engaging more New Zealanders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The 2023 investment round of the Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund awarded $1.602 million on the following grants, which will start on 1 February 2023.

View the public statements for these successful applicants along with information on who has been funded in previous rounds on our webpage:

Who got funded

Project title Organisation Funding (excl GST) Region Term
Soilsafe Kids: Connecting school children and community through diverse soil knowledges University of Auckland $150,000 Northland Region, Auckland Region 11 months
Smokefree Science Showcase - The STE(A)M behind the smoke (& mirrors) Otago Museum Trust Board $150,000 Northland Region, Auckland Region, Bay of Plenty Region, Gisborne Region, Wellington Region, Otago Region, Southland Region 17 months
Air We Share: Empowering children and communities to reduce airborne infection risk National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited $150,000 Northland Region, Auckland Region, Waikato Region, Bay of Plenty Region, Gisborne Region, Hawkes Bay Region, Taranaki Region, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, Wellington Region, Tasman Region, Nelson Region, Marlborough Region, West Coast Region, Canterbury Region, Otago Region, Southland Region 11 months
Pūtaiao mō te Ao Tūroa - The Science of Nature II Whenua Iti Trust – trading as Whenua Iti Outdoors $55,224 Tasman Region, Nelson Region, Marlborough Region, West Coast Region 11 months
Moanamana - Building NZL's Blue Belt Boat & Beach Wise Trust $150,000 Northland Region, Auckland Region, Waikato Region, Bay of Plenty Region, Wellington Region, Nelson Region, Canterbury Region 12 months
Exploring the role of micro-wetlands in building localised climate change resilience. EcoQuest Education Foundation $150,000 Waikato Region 12 months
Student-led detection of invasive species in our marine environment via molecular surveillance Otamarua Bush and Boat, Limited - Trading as Sails for Science $115,091 Northland Region 11 months
Fungal taonga and traditional uses – students welcomed to national collections and labs Landcare Research New Zealand Limited – trading as Manaaki Whenua $131,000 Northland Region, Auckland Region, Waikato Region 10 months
Te ohomauri o Wairere. The empowering life force of Wairere University of Waikato $132,000 Waikato Region 11 months
Weaving a pathway to programming through pūrakau tīpuna. University of Canterbury $149,846 Tasman Region, Nelson Region, Marlborough Region, West Coast Region, Canterbury Region, Otago Region, Southland Region 11 months
Patua te Tukumate Rāwaho (Myrtle Rust Busters) New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited - trading as Scion $146,368 Bay of Plenty Region, Canterbury Region 11 months
Tūhura Papatūānuku: a noho-marae based earth and environmental sciences wānanga Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited - trading as GNS Science $122,489 Northland Region 10 months
Last updated: 07 December 2022