Investing in developing excellent health researchers.
The HRC is the government’s principal agency for health research, with both a funding and strategic leadership role.
We invest in developing and sustaining New Zealand’s research workforce, helping build the capability and capacity required for a world-class research, science and innovation system.
Our funding enables researchers at all stages of their careers to pursue innovative, meaningful research of local and global merit. We’re also committed to investing in Māori and Pacific health researchers, so they can lead in improving health outcomes for their communities now and into the future.
Career building
Our funding currently supports more than 4,500 research positions across the country, spanning the following broad categories:
Emerging researchers and future leaders
We target funding towards future research leaders, with advanced postgraduate fellowships which provide salary support for emerging researchers who wish to establish a health research career in New Zealand. Most of these Fellows go on to secure one of our highly-competitive Project or Programme grants to help them remain active in New Zealand health research.
Clinical research fellowships and engagement of health professionals
With our Clinical Research Training Fellowships and our Clinical Practitioner Research Fellowships, we enable clinicians at the frontline of health services to pursue research that improves the quality of healthcare in New Zealand while they fulfil career goals on home soil.
In addition to these longstanding fellowships, the HRC’s wider investment in healthcare delivery research – ranging from career development awards through to research activation and project grants – helps ensure that both health practitioners and academics can undertake research that directly informs healthcare policy, practice, and systems. In 2023-2024, 46% of HRC-funded research positions were held by those who have trained as health professionals and 39% were held by currently practicing health professionals.
Māori health research career development
Through scholarships, studentships, and fellowships available to Māori researchers at all stages of their careers, we are developing the Māori health research workforce to ensure New Zealand has the capacity to address unique indigenous health issues. The percentage of lead investigators on HRC-funded contracts who identified as Māori was 26% in 2023-2024, and our strategies for building the indigenous workforce are recognised internationally.
Pacific health research career development
Building Pacific health knowledge, research paradigms and capacity to undertake Pacific-led research in partnership with Pacific communities is crucial to improving the health of Pacific peoples.
With the help of our Pacific Career Development Awards and targeted funding for Pacific-led research grants, more than 8% of lead investigators on HRC-funded contracts currently identify as Pacific.
Supporting fairness, diversity and inclusion
To contribute to a health system that delivers for all people, the HRC supports diversity, accessibility to research funding, and fairness in our funding processes. We are continually reviewing funding opportunities and implementing strategies to address barriers to career advancement or access to funding.
Funding opportunities
All our people-focused opportunities are available on HRC Gateway, and are grouped into the following rounds:
- Career Development Awards – General, Māori, Pacific
- Health Delivery Research Career Development Awards.