Proudly partnering with other cancer charities who rely on our rigorous process to identify research worthy of investment.
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Breast Cancer Cure
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Melanoma New Zealand
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Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand
Application Closing Dates
The Cancer Research Trust is proud to fund grants across the full spectrum of cancer research, including prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and improvements in palliative care. Our funded projects span many different fields including biomedical, clinical, public health, epidemiology and psychosocial research. Our goal is to fund the best quality science with the highest potential for impact.
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Professional Development Awards - for travel after 1 December 2025
Closing date: 3 October 2025
Professional Development Awards provide funding for established cancer researchers and cancer care professionals to travel and participate in advanced training programmes or scientific meetings that will enhance their professional competence or extend their range of skills.
Two Professional Development Award rounds are run each year. The maximum individual value of each grant in the Professional Development Award grant rounds is $3,000 and is primarily intended to cover conference travel or special training. Retrospective awards will not be made so please do not apply for funds for travel or training that take place before the outcome dates.Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Cancer Education + Development Awards
Closing date: 3 October 2025
Cancer Education + Development grants are aimed at supporting education events for cancer care professionals, research conferences, and engagement with the community. The fund may be used to support general event costs, speaker costs, or hosting a training course or community hui.
These grants may be awarded to those organising New Zealand-based conferences or training courses of direct relevance to cancer research, prevention, detection and treatment, end of life care, or community hui for cancer education and/or research purposes. The maximum for either purpose is $5,000, and these awards are offered twice per year.Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Research Project Grants
Closing date: 1 August 2025
Research Project Grants offer funding for the full spectrum of cancer research, including prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and improvements in palliative care. The Cancer Research Trust’s goal is to fund the best quality science with the highest potential for impact.
The maximum value of these grants is $80,000 + GST, awarded over a maximum of two years. These grants allow the Trust to be an incubator for innovative new ideas by funding early stage proof-of-concept research that can then be used to attract further funding to take the project forward.Read more about our eligibility criteria and advice to applicants.
Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Special Purpose Grants
Closing date: 1 August 2025
Special Purpose Grants provide funding for New Zealand-based initiatives that will underpin research, but are not hypothesis-driven research projects. This includes projects that underpin improvements in the prevention, detection, diagnosis or treatment of cancer, or improvements in the palliative care of cancer patients. Projects may be related to any aspect of cancer research, including biomedical, clinical, epidemiological or psychosocial aspects of cancer.
Special Purpose Grant projects must be based in New Zealand. The maximum value of the Grant is $80,000 + GST, awarded over a maximum of two years.Read more about our eligibility criteria and advice to applicants.
Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Murray Jackson Clinical Fellowship
Closing date: 1 August 2025
The Murray Jackson Clinical Fellowship is a prestigious award, available to a medical graduate committed to a clinical career with a major involvement in cancer medicine and research. It is intended to support research-focused cancer-aligned specialists, across medical and surgical disciplines. The expectation is that at the end of the Fellowship the successful applicant will become an established clinician researcher practicing in New Zealand.
The maximum value of the Fellowship is one year of clinical salary, awarded over a period of one to five years. The Trust will usually award only one Murray Jackson Clinical Fellowship per year.Read more about our eligibility criteria and advice to applicants.
Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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John Gavin Postdoctoral Fellowship
Closing date: 1 August 2025
The John Gavin Post-Doctoral Fellowship is a prestigious award for an outstanding researcher with a doctoral level degree who plans to focus their scientific career in fields relevant to cancer. Projects may be in any field of cancer-related research including public health, biomedical, clinical, epidemiological or psychosocial aspects of cancer. It is expected this Fellowship will support their journey to become established as an independent researcher in New Zealand.
The maximum value of the Fellowship is two years of post-doctoral salary, awarded over a period of two to five years. The Trust will usually award only one John Gavin Postdoctoral Fellowship per year.Read more about our eligibility criteria and advice to applicants.
Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Postgraduate Scholarship
Closing date: 1 August 2025
The Cancer Research Trust's postgraduate scholarship is intended to allow a Masters or Honours graduate student to undertake a maximum of three years study towards a doctorate degree in a cancer-related field.
The value of the scholarship is a $35,000 per year tax-free stipend plus University fees for an approved course. Projects may be in the field of cancer-related public health, or the biomedical, clinical, epidemiological or psychosocial aspects of cancer.
The Trust will usually only award one Postgraduate Scholarship per year.Read more about our eligibility criteria and advice to applicants.
Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Nursing + Allied Health Scholarship
Closing date: 1 August 2025
The Nursing + Allied Health Scholarship is intended to support nurses and allied health professionals to complete doctoral-level study in any field of cancer-related research. The value of the Scholarship is typically one year of salary, awarded over a period of one to three years. In exceptional circumstances the Trust may award up to two years’ salary spread over a period of up to six years.Recognising the complexities of juggling a clinical role with part time doctoral studies the Trust aims to be as flexible as possible. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their ambitions and hurdles to get guidance on how the Trust may be able to provide support.
Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Ovarian Cancer Foundation Travel Grant
Closing date : 3 October 2025
The Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand's travel grant is aimed at boosting the research expertise of New Zealand researchers in the field of ovarian cancer, utilising OCFNZ’s relationships with prominent ovarian cancer researchers internationally. In particular, the Foundation seeks to support researchers who are likely to have an ongoing commitment and impact in ovarian cancer research in NZ.
The placement is for two to four weeks. The value of the grant is up to $8,000 NZD. Applicants must be either a New Zealand based PhD student or an early career researcher (PhD completed within the past six years).Funding decision announced: mid November 2025
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Get ready to apply
All applicants will need a current CV in the standard New Zealand format.
Applicants can choose from two CV formats - either an academic or a narrative CV.
The narrative CV allows researchers to document a diversity contributions and achievements in a descriptive format. The academic CV is focused on more traditional metrics, publications and outputs. Both are equally valued by the Cancer Research Trust's Assessment Committee.Download a template containing both CV options.
Grant writing workshops coming up
Prospective applicants are welcome to join one of two grant writing workshops to get tips on what makes a good grant application, how to navigate the new portal, and an opportunity to ask questions about specific grants and the Trust's processes.
These workshops are also an opportunity to learn about the Cancer Research Trust's funding partners and how the partnership funding is managed. This year the Trust is delighted to be partnering with three other charities - Breast Cancer Cure, Melanoma New Zealand and Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand.
Register for the workshop on Tuesday 1 July at 12.00pm.
Register for the workshop on Monday 21 July at 12.00pm.
Grant Assessment Process
The Cancer Research Trust has an Assessment Committee comprising clinical and radiation oncologists, biomedical researchers, a psychologist and a senior palliative care nursing specialist. The current Assessment Committee membership is:
- Dr Scott Babington (chair)* – radiation oncology, research, teaching
- Professor Katrina Sharples – clinical trials, statistics
- Dr Sheridan Wilson – clinical oncology, research, teaching
- Dr Jackie Robinson – palliative care delivery, research, teaching
- Associate Professor Brian Cox– epidemiology, public health
- Dr Tess Moeke-Maxwell – palliative care, Māori health, kaupapa Māori methodology
- Associate Professor Stephen Jamieson – pharmacology, drug discovery, biomarkers
- Dr Dean Singleton – hypoxia, cancer metabolism, epigenetics, drug development
- Professor Roslyn Kemp – applied and molecular immunology, cancer immunobiology, vaccines
- Dr Silke Neumann - immunology, cancer immunotherapy
- Dr Sunali Mehta - cancer biology, bioinformatics
* also member of Trust Board
Conflicts of interest are carefully managed in line with the Trust's process.
