• $3.4 of funding given
• 10 projects funded
• 6 personal awards
• 9 education and travel

2026 round A grant recipients

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  Dr Fiona McBryde

  University of Auckland

  Project grant - $300,000 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Nitrite - a promising new adjunct treatment for stroke

  This project is testing whether a simple, low-cost drug called nitrite can protect the brain during a stroke. The team will use animal models to see if nitrite improves blood flow and reduces damage, even when treatment is delayed. If effective, this approach could reduce long-term disability and help more people access treatment, especially those in rural communities.

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  Professor Bronwen Connor

  University of Auckland

  Project grant - $299,956 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Purification of directly reprogrammed human induced striatal precursors using microfluidic cell sorting to enhance cell replacement therapy for Huntington’s disease

  This project aims to develop a new treatment for Huntington’s disease by creating healthy brain cells from a person’s own skin cells and making them suitable for cell replacement therapy. An animal model of Huntington’s will be used to test how well the cells survive and if they can repair damaged areas of the brain. This could bring a life-changing treatment closer to reality for people living with this disease.

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  Dr Daniel Conole

  University of Auckland

  

  Dr Amy Smith

  University of Auckland

  Project grant - $299,907 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Genetic engineering of iPSCs for actionable drug target validation

  This project is using human brain immune cells to study a protein called GPNMB that is found at high levels in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Turning this protein on and off will show how it affects brain inflammation and cell damage. By understanding how GPNMB works, the team aim to uncover new ways to treat dementia.

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  Associate Professor Bronwyn Kivell

  Victoria University of Wellington

  Project grant - $299,852 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Evaluating immune and microglial mechanisms underpinning kappa opioid receptor – mediated remyelination

  This project is developing treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) by testing a new group of drugs that can reduce inflammation and repair damage to the protective coating around nerves. Human cell models and animal models will be used to identify the most promising drugs for slowing the progression of MS and restoring nerve function.

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  Dr Bruce Mockett

  University of Otago

  Project grant - $299,320 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Opening the door for systemic gene therapy to treat central nervous system disorders

  This project is testing a promising new gene therapy for the treatment of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), using a naturally occurring brain protein which helps nerve cells grow, connect and stay healthy. An animal model of FTD will be used to test whether the gene therapy improves memory, brain function and damage. This could lead to new treatments that slow or prevent dementia.

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  Dr Simerdeep Dhillon

  University of Auckland

  Project grant - $127,849 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Deferoxamine and IGF-1 for treating preterm intraventricular haemorrhage

  This project focuses on brain injury caused by bleeding in the brains of premature babies. A sheep model that closely mimics human infants will be used to test whether reducing harmful iron and adding growth factors can limit injury and support brain repair. This could improve treatment options and long-term outcomes for these vulnerable babies.
  
  Simerdeep has also been awarded a Senior Research Fellowship.

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  Dr Christi Essex

  University of Auckland

  Small project grant - $20,000 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Building a probabilistic CTE lesion atlas: an empirical guide for neuropathological and neuroimaging research

  Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain disease linked to repeated head injuries that can currently only be diagnosed after death. This project will use donated human brain tissue to map where CTE damage occurs and identify these patterns using MRI. This will support the development of brain scanning tools that could detect CTE during life.

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  Dr Blake Highet

  University of Auckland

  Small project grant - $20,000 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Resolving the 3D architecture of early neurodegenerative pathology in the intact human olfactory bulb

  One of the first signs of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease is loss of smell, which can appear years before memory or movement problems. This project will use donated human brain tissue to create detailed 3D images of the olfactory bulb, which is the area of the brain that processes smell. Mapping this area involved in the earliest stages of dementia could help identify new approaches for earlier treatment or prevention.

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  Professor Larry Chamley

  University of Auckland

  Small project grant - $19,980 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Preeclampsia, a cause of vascular dementia in women

  This project examines why women who experience preeclampsia during pregnancy have a higher risk of vascular dementia later in life. Tiny particles from donated placentas will be tested in cell and animal models to see how they affect brain blood vessels and the blood-brain barrier. Understanding this link could help identify new ways to prevent vascular dementia.

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  Miss Linh Nguyen

  University of Auckland

  Small project grant - $16,974 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Neuroprotective effect of LM22A-4 on directly reprogrammed human striatal precursor cells

  Huntington’s disease causes a loss of brain cells due to deficiency of an essential protein called BDNF. A new drug has been designed to copy the protective effects of BDNF. In this project, brain cells will be grown from the skin cells of patients to test if this new drug can protect brain cells in Huntington’s. This could lay the foundation for a new treatment for people living with this disease.

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  Dr Douglas Campbell

  Health NZ Te Toka Tumai Auckland

  Senior clinical research fellowship - $372,457 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Physiological and pharmacological neuroprotection in ischaemic stroke

  This fellowship will develop and trial new ways to protect the brain early after stroke. Slowing brain injury before patients are able to receive hospital treatment will improve outcomes, particularly for those in rural and remote communities.

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  Dr Simerdeep Dhillon

  University of Auckland

  Senior research fellowship - $341,924 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Iron chelation therapy for preterm intraventricular haemorrhage

  This fellowship will test the potential of a drug called deferoxamine to remove harmful iron from the brain and improve outcomes after a brain bleed, one of the most common and serious complications in babies born prematurely. The findings from this animal study will provide the basis for future clinical trials.
  
  Simerdeep has also been awarded a project grant.

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  Dr James Hucklesby

  University of Auckland

  Philip Wrightson Fellowship - $247,845 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Pre-strengthening the brain endothelial barrier to prevent postoperative delirium

  Up to 40% of patients experience confusion and memory problems after surgery, known as postoperative delirium. This fellowship will use brain blood vessel cells grown in the lab to test how different medications protect them. This could help identify ways to protect the brain during surgery and improve patient outcomes.

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  Dr Chelsie Osterman

  University of Auckland

  First fellowship - $241,333 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Utilising spatial proteomics to investigate glial immunophenotypes in chronic traumatic encephalopathy and multiple sclerosis

  Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and multiple sclerosis (MS) have a younger onset than other neurodegenerative diseases and have some remarkable similarities. This fellowship will use donated human brain tissue to examine whether there are common changes in the brain’s support cells in CTE and MS, potentially finding new ways to slow or prevent these diseases.

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  Dr Ashlee Berryman

  University of Otago

  First fellowship - $232,198 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Understanding and addressing endometriosis brain

  Endometriosis often causes long-term pelvic pain and can affect thinking, memory and focus. This fellowship will study how pain levels influence brain function and cognitive performance, and test the potential of an electronic wearable device (TENS) to reduce pain and improve cognitive skills. This could provide a safe and effective way to manage pain in endometriosis.

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  Dr Dhara Knight

  University of Tasmania

  VJ Chapman Fellowship - $202,757 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Assessing cognition changes as a disease biomarker for patients with multiple sclerosis using the Adapted TAS Test, a computer-based self-assessment tool

  Dr Dhara Knight, a New Zealand neurologist who will undertake her research at the University of Tasmania. This fellowship will test a simple, computer-based self-assessment that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can use regularly at home to track changes in brain function. Detecting progression of the disease earlier will support faster treatment decisions and better long-term outcomes for people living with MS.

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  Education and training events grant - $20,000 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  International Basal Ganglia Society Conference

  This conference will bring clinicians and scientists from around the world to New Zealand, to improve understanding of how an area of the brain called the basal ganglia is involved in health and disease, and to share the latest research with the general public.

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  Education and training events grant - $19,968 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  New Zealand Acute Stroke Simulation Course

  Based at the Wellington Hospital Simulation and Skills Centre, this programme will train New Zealand healthcare teams to deliver efficient and effective care and outcomes for stroke patients, and train clinicians to set up simulation education across the country.

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  Education and training events grant - $14,993 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research 2026

  This conference brings together neuroscience researchers from New Zealand and internationally, to present their work and network with one another, with a focus on supporting students and early career researchers.

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  Dr Corinne Bareham

  Massey University

  Travel grant - $4,200 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness

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  Luke Spencer Bialostocki

  University of Otago

  Travel grant - $4,456 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  International Association for the Study of Pain World Congress on Pain

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  Professor Bronwen Connor

  University of Auckland

  Travel grant - $4,500 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting

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  Dr Hannah Hawley

  Massey University

  Travel grant - $4,500 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  European Drosophila Neurobiology Conference and visit to Rosalind Franklin Institute

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  Professor Stephanie Hughes

  University of Otago

  Travel grant - $4,500 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  Stengel 200 conference

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  Dr Jamie McQuillan

  University of Otago

  Travel grant - $4,500 - Funding Round: 2026 A

  International Congress of Neuroendocrinology