Grant funding philosophy

The Foundation was established in 1986 to promote, encourage and sustain medical research in the Waikato region.

Since establishment, the Foundation has received assets of over one million dollars and has supported research projects including studies of leukaemia, infant feed, healing of ligaments, stroke, breath testing for stomach infection, renal failure, medical ultrasound, synthetic hip joints, diabetes, eye disease associated with contact lenses, head injury therapy, medically useful natural products, antibacterial properties of human breast milk and of honey, asthma, blood flow to the brains of premature infants, prostate surgery, breast cancer, coping with disability, disease of the pancreas, synthetic bone, and damage to heart muscles. The financial support provided to these projects is over $1 million.

Most of the research listed here has been performed in the major Waikato institutions; the University of Waikato, Waikato Hospital, Ruakura Research Centre, Waikato Institute of Technology - and with the establishment of a clinical school of medicine and appointment of Waikato's first Medical Professors (at the Peter Rothwell Academic Centre, Waikato Hospital), we anticipate a growth in research potential and a need for more funding.

The Foundation has a Board of Trustees and a Grants committee which assesses requests for funding of research applications annually. All applications are required to meet the standards for national funding by the Health Research Council. The trustees have a wide range of skills, scientific, social, medical and financial.

The Foundation is particularly well supported by the Waikato Community Trust, which effectively doubles the funding for health research that the Foundation's own income, from investments, can supply. The demand for health research specific to the needs of people of the Waikato region is increasing and the Foundation seeks further support from organisations and people of the region.

The WMRF broad funding policy is that:

1. All applications are required to meet the standards for national funding by the Health Research Council.
2. Research that benefits the public - of the Waikato as distinct from work that earns money for a company.
3. The Waikato Community Trust strongly supports the WMRF and a significant proportion of the money available for grants comes from the Trust, (hence while WMRF funded projects are all health related, not all are purely medical) OR (funding is available for a full range of health related issues).
4. Where appropriate, consideration is given to applications from young/inexperienced researchers who do not yet have a track record. This is a valuable route to gaining a larger grant elsewhere for these workers.
5. Funds are not promised for more than one year.
6. Funds are not provided to attend conferences.
7. The philosophy is flexible.

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