UPDATED FUNDING CALL

Ember Innovations - Research Grants

UPDATE: Workshop registration link updated

About the Schemes

Ember Innovations proudly presents two distinct research grant opportunities for University of Auckland research projects that align with our commitment to innovation, mental health, and honouring lived experiences.

These two opportunities reflect Ember Innovations' dedication to supporting a broad spectrum of research that contributes to understanding mental health and wellbeing, fostering innovation, and leveraging personal experiences to create meaningful impact. We invite researchers who share this vision to apply.

A. Wellbeing Innovation Research Grant

Mental health, addiction, and holistic wellbeing category

Ember warmly welcomes applications from visionary researchers eager to usher in a new era of mental health, substance harm, and wellbeing solutions. Their aspiration is for everyone to access the help they need, precisely when they require it. Ember are particularly keen on funding research that not only brings forth ground-breaking approaches to mental wellbeing, intervention, and addiction handling, but also stands distinctly apart from existing methods. While Ember are receptive to any innovative research, they are especially interested by studies focussing on Mātauranga Māori, AI and emerging technologies, the intersection of disability and mental health (including FASD), and those crafted in close collaboration with communities most in need.

Criteria for consideration:

• Focus areas: Mental Health, Substance or non-substance harm treatment, intervention, prevention, or promotion.
• Of particular interest (but not essential criteria) Mātauranga Māori, A.I., machine learning and/or emerging technologies, the intersection of disability and mental health (including FASD), and studies crafted in close collaboration with communities most in need.
• Must champion innovation.
• Can encompass health, societal, or creative arts perspectives.
• Excludes strictly medical approaches.

B. Lived Experience Research Grant

For research in any discipline/category led by a researcher with personal experience of mental distress or substance, or non-substance harm

With an ardent vision for a New Zealand that has a more compassionate response to mental health, addiction, and intellectual disability, Ember acknowledges the invaluable insights that researchers with personal journeys of mental distress or substance harm bring. Despite the accomplishments made by individuals with lived experiences, societal obstacles such as self-stigma, prejudice, and discrimination persistently endure. Through this opportunity, Ember aim to not only boost the academic careers of researchers embracing their lived experiences of mental distress and substance harm recovery but also amplify the significant contributions they are already making to research. By doing so, Ember hope to recalibrate perceptions around lived experiences within academic circles.

Whilst the focus of this research does not have to be on mental health, the researcher must be willing to be open about their lived experience. Ember is committed to providing guidance on the safe and appropriate sharing of lived experience to the successful grant recipient(s).

Criteria for consideration:

• Open to any research topic, area or discipline.
• Explicitly invites researchers who are transparent about their own lived experience and the invaluable insights their recovery journey provides.
• Ember can help with guidance for the successful recipient/s on safe sharing of their lived or living experiences.

Key Things to Note:

Grant Value and Duration | Eligibility | Submission Stages

Grant Value and Duration: 

• Candidates must exhibit a strong inclination to publish their research.
• The highest funding available is $50,000. Funding duration can be up to 3 years.  No overheads are allowed.

Eligibility:

Wellbeing Innovation Research Grant

• Lead Applicant must have a Masters or above.
• If the Lead Applicant does not hold a PhD, they must have a mentor with a PhD based at The University of Auckland.  The mentor’s name must be noted in the section titled, Other Investigator(s) and Organisations on the Project Information Sheet.    

Lived Experience Research Grant

• Lead Applicant must have a Masters or above.
• Lead Applicant must have personal experience of mental distress or substance, or non-substance harm.
• If the Lead Applicant does not hold a PhD, they must have a mentor with a PhD based at The University of Auckland.  The mentor’s name must be noted in the section titled, Other Investigator(s) and Organisations on the Project Information Sheet. 

Submission Stages : 

• Note there is an optional Information Workshop held at The University of Auckland on 23rd September 2024, 1pm – 2:30pm with light refreshments and networking until 3pm, at University of Auckland Campus 49 Symonds St - link to workshop registration is here.
• Stage 1 - Applications due COB Thursday 31st October 2024. - Please contact submissions@auckland.ac.nz to access the application form (also included as attachment).
• Stage 2 - Shortlisted applicants invited to present to Ember on Thursday 28th November 2024.

DEADLINES

External Deadline : All applications must be received by 5pm, Tuesday 31 October.

Note: No Quality Assurance check will be completed (so there's no internal deadline) but each Applicant must have an approved infoED/RFM record prior to submission.  

Funds Categorisation information 

• Support tier: Self-service
• Process map: Link

For help developing your application, please contact your local support (FIRST) team. If you have any funder specific queries or require funder submission help, please contact the Research Funding Team.

Submission Process

To register to apply, please

1.    Email the following information to the Research Funding Team via
submissions@auckland.ac.nz : title, full name, email address, faculty and department. 

2.    Create a record and upload your application and any necessary attachments in the Research Funding Module (RFM) and submit for approval. 

3.    Once the application has been approved in RFM, please submit your application and necessary attachments to submissions@auckland.ac.nz by the EXTERNAL DEADLINE -  5pm, 31 October 2024.

4. The Research Funding Team will be collating the submitted proposals and passing them over to Ember Innovations assessment panel who will review those submitted by the external deadline.  

Please note: No review will be conducted by the Research Funding Team for this scheme.  

GUIDELINES:

• Ember Innovations webpage
• Please contact submissions@auckland.ac.nz to access the application form (also included as attachment).

WEBSITE:

• Ember Innovations Group
• Ember Innovations current activity/projects

• There is an Information Workshop being held at The University of Auckland on 23rd September 2024.  link to workshop registration is here.