Transition Research Fund 2027
The 2027 Transition Research Fund ensures we continue to support great ideas from inception all the way through to the benefits they deliver for New Zealand. The fund supports high quality foundational and applied research across all disciplines that deliver impact aligned with national priorities.
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The Government is taking a clear step towards a more strategic science funding system with a streamlined Transition Research Fund for 2027 that aligns science funding with national priorities.
A new funding strategy for the science system
The 2027 Transition Research Fund was developed on advice from the newly established science funding decision-maker Research Funding New Zealand.
This new fund brings investigator-led research into a single fund with three funding mechanisms:
- Talent Development supports future research leaders to build capability, test ideas and establish independent careers.
- Projects enable bold, innovative research with strong potential to deliver meaningful benefits for New Zealand.
- Programmes support ambitious, collaborative research tackling complex challenges and delivering transformational outcomes over a longer term.
The Transition Research Fund brings contestable funding which would have otherwise been delivered through future rounds of the Marsden and Endeavour funds into a single investigator-led research fund.
Funding available
Funding for the 2027 Transition Research Fund investment round is expected to remain broadly consistent with what would otherwise have been allocated through new Marsden and Endeavour funding rounds. The Transition Fund is about how funding is structured and delivered, not reducing overall support.
The total first year investment through the current 2026 Marsden Fund funding round is approximately $18.8 million and the total first year investment in Endeavour Fund in 2025 was $55 million. The total first year investment in the Transition Research Fund in 2027 will be up to $84.4 million.
The Transition Research Fund will invest up to $300 million over five years in total. This forms part of the total appropriation for Science, Innovation and Technology, alongside funding that has already been committed through previous rounds of Endeavour, Marsden and other investments and initiatives. All existing contracts continue as agreed.
Investment decisions
Final funding decisions will be made by Research Funding New Zealand, with all funded projects showing clear alignment with Government priorities for science, innovation and technology.
Documents and resources
New transition fund provides continuity while backing bold ideas
2027 Transition Research Fund Gazette Notice(external link) — Gazette.govt.nz
More information
Further details of fund design and criteria are being worked through, and we will publish more information on this page as soon as it is available. Ensure you subscribe to updates below. We expect to:
- Publish a second Gazette notice and the investment plan in June.
- Run an information and question and answer webinar by the end of June.
Stay up to date
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