Research funding opportunities - internal

The local conference/subscription allowance scheme is for academic staff in established positions, to encourage their participation in local conferences and other activities of professional societies closely associated with NZ mathematics.

For the moment these societies include the NZ Mathematical Society, ANZIAM, NZAMT, the NZ Statistical Association, and the Combinatorial Mathematics Society of Australasia. Local conferences include the NZ Mathematics Colloquium, the annual or biennial conferences of ANZIAM, MERGA and NZAMT, and the summer meetings sponsored by the NZMRI.

This scheme also covers subscriptions to professional societies closely associated with NZ mathematics (incl. the NZ Mathematical Society, ANZIAM, NZ Statistical Association, Combinatorial Mathematics Society of Australasia, NZAMT, and the Royal Society of NZ).

The current maximum allowance is $500 per full-time established academic staff member (pro-rated for part-time staff).

Individual accounts will continue to be maintained for each person in the fund scheme, and individual balances may be accumulated up to $750 or drawn down to -$200.

Requests and claims should be made through the Department Manager in the first instance. Claims for payment or reimbursement are made on the basis of invoices or receipts supplied (and with approval from the Head of Department if necessary).

The NZIMA has established a scheme of annual Maclaurin Fellowships(*), to enable mathematical scientists from NZ or worldwide to take time out from their usual occupations and undertake full-time research in NZ, or partly overseas (if based in New Zealand).

(* Richard Cockburn Maclaurin was a graduate of Auckland University College who went on to study at Cambridge, where he won the Smith Prize in Mathematics and Yorke Prize in Law, and was appointed as Foundation Professor of Mathematics at Victoria University College in NZ in 1899, and later Dean of Law and Professor of Astronomy. In 1908 he was invited to become President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and helped transform that institution into the world-class research-based technological university it is today.)

Each Maclaurin fellowship will include either
(a) a stipend of up to NZ$90,000pa (depending on qualifications and experience) for one year, plus up to 60% overheads for the host institution, if the holder of the fellowship is normally resident in NZ, or
(b) a stipend of up to NZ$25,000 (depending on qualifications and experience) for 3 months, if the holder of the fellowship is normally resident outside NZ.

A small amount of additional funding may be available for the costs of travel of each Maclaurin Fellow. Any Maclaurin Fellow appointed for a term of one year would be expected to spend at least 6 months of that time in NZ.

A full report from each Maclaurin Fellow will be expected within two months of the end of the term of their fellowship, including a summary of their research activities, details of any postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers or other participants involved in their projects, any additional funding or other support received, and all significant publications and other outputs resulting from the fellowship. Details of subsequent publications and other outcomes will also be expected to be provided at a later date.

The NZIMA will allocate funds to provide for up to to one 3-year PhD scholarship and one 18-month Masters scholarship for each thematic programme selected, and also an indeterminate number of full or partial scholarships which are open for merit-based competition among postgraduate research students enrolled in mathematical science departments in NZ universities.

The expected amounts of full scholarships are currently NZ$20,000pa for a full-time PhD student, and NZ$15,000 for a full-time Masters student enrolled for a thesis or research project. These scholarships may be applied to the payment of tuition fees or costs of travel if necessary (but not towards the costs of other resources provided by the host institution).

The holder of any NZIMA postgraduate scholarship must be enrolled at a tertiary education institution in NZ which offers postgraduate research degrees approved by the NZ Ministry of Education (or Tertiary Education Commission).

Annual reports and one final report (within two months of the end of the term of the scholarship) will be expected from the holder of each NZIMA postgraduate scholarship, including a summary of their research activities, details of any other researchers involved in their projects, any additional funding or other support received, and all significant publications and other outputs resulting from the scholarship. Details of subsequent publications and other outcomes will also be expected to be provided at a later date.

From time to time the NZIMA may have sufficient funds to be able to support other forms of mathematical research activity in NZ such as specialist conferences or workshops, or visits to NZ by eminent researchers in the mathematical sciences.

The primary purpose of Staff Research Fund is to ensure that as many members of staff as possible are able to pursue their research interests. Applications are evaluated on academic merit and individual need, and funds are awarded accordingly. Note, however, that requests invariably exceed the total monies available for distribution.

The aim of the New Staff Research Fund is to assist the establishment of the research of new academic staff members appointed as Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors or Senior Tutors (on a contract of at least three years).

Each year the University's Research Committee invites applications for the award of funds to support a number of University of Auckland Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships.

The fellowships are available for a period of two years. The award is a fixed amount of money (currently $105,000), which covers an emolument (at L1 and L2 of the lecturer salary scale) and a contribution to the Fellow's travel costs and the host Department's recruitment and selection costs. Any costs on top of these must be budgeted for by the host Department. Applicants should give serious consideration to the funding of additional research expenses for the Fellow and be aware that Research Committee can give no guarantee of research grants being available for this purpose.

The Fellowship is awarded for the purpose of carrying out advanced research within the University; a Fellow may be expected to participate in limited teaching activities.

Applicants should note the following:

a) Intellectual soundness of the project
b) Feasibility of accomplishing the project in two years with the resources available
c) Innovative approach to problem
d) Research record and demonstrated capability of applicant(s)

The purpose of the Graduate Research Fund is to encourage high quality research in all areas of the University, normally to allow doctoral degree students to present their research at overseas conferences but also by providing special grants to enhance individual research programmes. Applications are considered on a contestable basis taking into account merit and need.

The Graduate Research Fund is not intended to fund basic research costs for PhD students. Departments are expected to meet the basic costs for consumables, equipment, field work, literature searches (etc.) incurred by their research students and to give assurances of adequate funding before accepting PhD Enrolments. Enrolments must not be accepted on the assumption that a grant will be forthcoming from the Graduate Research Fund.

This fund is designed to stimulate new joint research with overseas colleagues or the use of overseas facilities, or to gain leverage from research alliances or international research funding sources. Grants may be awarded to support research collaboration visits to or from other universities with which the University of Auckland has or wishes to forge a strategic alliance, and to take advantage of international strategic opportunities which arise at short notice during the year.

The purpose of this fund is to foster the initiation of research collaborations with other research institutions both within New Zealand and outside of the country. It is expected that applicants will work towards successful ongoing collaborations emerging from the initial contacts and/or joint research funded under this scheme. Applications will be strengthened if they demonstrate that 'matching funds' have been made available by their outside collaborators, either in terms of cash invested into the project, or in terms of facilities or equipment made available. These collaborations should go on to apply for continuing funding from outside funding organisations or commercial ventures, and applications should demonstrate the potential for doing so.