Contestable Funding Applications
Encouraging innovation
2024B Contestable Funding Round Announced
We’re delighted to confirm Dr. Jarred Griffin as the latest recipient of a CatWalk Postdoctoral Fellowship. Jarred spent the past six years completing post-doctoral research at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. He now returns to New Zealand to rejoin his colleagues, peers, and mentors at Auckland University, working alongside our Spine Squad team.
Jarred’s research is titled: “What is true regenerative plasticity? A novel molecular tracer to visualise nascent circuitry in the injured spinal cord” It aims to solve a long-standing neuroscience problem by enabling precise visualisation of regenerating axons. This breakthrough would transform connectomics (our understanding of how neurons connect and communicate). It would help to confirm or challenge past findings on plasticity after spinal cord injury and set a new research standard for clinical treatments.
Jarred’s work is different from, and complementary to, that of the Spine Squad. Along with his research, Jarred brings back unique skills in light sheet microscopy to help further develop the team here.
CatWalk’s Contestable grants provide essential funding for groundbreaking research in spinal cord injury. We aim to increase knowledge and enhance treatment. These grants are critical for:
Innovation:
High-risk, high-reward projects that might not receive traditional funding, enabling innovative approaches to spinal cord injury research.
Collaboration:
Grants to encourage collaboration among scientists, clinicians, and institutions, fostering a multidisciplinary approach to tackle spinal cord injury challenges.
Flexibility:
Rapid, agile, responses to emerging scientific opportunities and challenges in the field of spinal cord injury.
Funding Details:
- Two funding rounds per year for biomedical or clinical research projects.
- Scholarships and Fellowships: One round per year for Postgraduate scholarships and Postdoctoral fellowships.
- Grants may be used in New Zealand or at an overseas centre of excellence.