Smart research projects gain $5.34m from final Endeavour fund round

Nine projects – ranging from using phototonics to control varroa mites in beehives to innovative wireless powered transport – have received $5.34m for an extra year of Endeavour Fund research.

The 2026 Contract Extension Round covers both Research Programmes and Smart Ideas funding.

The research projects granted extensions are:

• Hyper-explosive eruptions: Why can small eruptions go hyper? Dr Joa Paredes Marino, Faculty of Science, $500,000
• Wirelessly powered transport infrastructure for a low-carbon future, Professor Grant Covic, Faculty of Engineering and Design, $2,701,582.00
• AI-based behavioural analytics for live sports broadcast, Associate Professor Patrice Delmas, Faculty of Science, $333,333
• Revolutionising shellfish nursery culture using tidally driven upwelling systems, Dr Brad Skelton, Faculty of Science, $333,333
• Ion pipette aspiration chips for soft colloidal micromechanics, Professor Geoff Willmott, Faculty of Science, $333,333
• Photonic device for Varroa control in NZ beehives and beyond, Professor Cather Simpson, Dr Francesco Merola, Faculty of Science, $333,333
• Image-guided photonics probe, a medical device for accurate real-time prostate cancer detection, Dr Claude Aguergaray, Faculty of Science, $333,333
• Carbon footprints underwater, Professor Simon Thrush, Faculty of Science, $333,333
• Microgravity injury modulation device, Professor Anthony Phillips, Faculty of Science, $333,333