University researchers awarded $34.8m from Endeavour Fund

Four innovative five-year programmes by Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland researchers have been successful in gaining a total of $34.8m in the government's 2025 Endeavour funding round.

The Endeavour Fund supports research with potential for high impact across economic, social and environmental challenges faced by the country.

Professor JR Rowland, the Pro-Vice Chancellor Global and Graduate Research and a professor of structural geology, with Professor Chris Bumby of Victoria University of Wellington, will lead a team seeking to redefine thinking and practice to enable more sustainable ways to extract minerals from ore, essential for the transition to clean technologies. The research will be supported by almost $11m in funding. 

From the Faculty of Science, Associate Professor Melissa Bowen and collaborators have been awarded $8.9m to build forecasting models for ocean change due to climate change, supporting New Zealand to be more resilient.

Architecture and Planning Professor Paola Boarin (Engineering and Design) with fellow principal investigators Professor Jacqueline Beggs and Garry McDonald will have $8.9m funding to look at our future urban industry, cities' industrial landscapes aiming to better integrate economic, ecological and social imperatives.

Marine scientist Dr Brad Skelton has been funded to the tune of  $6m for his research focusing on reducing spat losses in the country’s lucrative Greenshell mussel industry.

In addition to the four major research programmes, Dr Massi Hesam (Auckland Bioengineering Institute) has received $1m through the Endeavour Smart Ideas category to develop smart sensor garments to support patients with serious oedema.