Research funding programme

Arthritis NZ has a dedicated pool of funding available for research projects about arthritis with topics to be determined by applicants. Projects must clearly seek to improve the lives of people affected by arthritis, while also demonstrating research impact. Our expectation is that researchers we award funding to will make their findings accessible and understandable for people who have arthritis and other stakeholders who will have an interest in their findings. 

By awarding grants, we actively support New Zealand researchers and health professionals in academia, health service provision and other types of institutional organisations working in the wider arthritis field. This in turn produces vital information or an "evidence base" that we can use to inform our programmes, services, community engagement and other activities such as advocacy. 

We usually offer annual grant rounds for research projects that are conducted over a one-to-two-year period and have a maximum budget of up to $80,000 (unless otherwise specified). Research projects must clearly align with Arthritis NZ’s key research objectives and Research Action Plan (currently being updated). We welcome proposals for quantitative and qualitative research projects and those that employ a "mixed methods" approach. 

Grants will only be awarded for research projects which are of a high standard, maintaining the reputation of the New Zealand scientific community and Arthritis NZ as a funding body. Projects which have an identified major funder are also welcomed. 

EOI are due by 5pm, Friday 27th February 2026. 

All the documents and information you will need for our 2025/2026 External Research Grants round are available in the section immediately below. 

We are delighted to announce that we are introducing a new research funding stream in 2025 to our annual Grants round. Our new Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Fund has been made available due to a generous bequest from a late supporter’s estate to provide funding specifically for research that has the potential to alleviate the symptoms and impact of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 

If you work in the area of rheumatoid arthritis, the only thing you need to do differently to past years is to simply use our new RA Research Fund documents for your application. This includes EOI and CV templates for the first stage, and a new Full RA Research Fund Application should you be invited to progress to the second stage. We have also reworked our Grants Information and Conditions Form so it is now a combined External Research Grants and Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Fund Information and Conditions Form. 

EOI are due by 5pm, Friday 27th February 2026. 

For those working on all other areas of arthritis we ask that you please use the documents that are labelled “External Research Grants” which are available in the External Research Grants section above.  

All the documents and information you will need for our 2025/2026 Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Fund round are available in the section immediately below. 

The purpose of the Arthritis NZ Summer Scholarships programme is to support students undertaking arthritis-related research whilst being supervised by an experienced research professional working in academia, health service provision and other types of institutional organisations. 

Unless otherwise specified, Arthritis NZ will fund up to six Scholarships valued at $7,000 per year (excluding GST). The round is usually open for four weeks.

Projects are usually undertaken over 10–12-weeks during the summer period and provide students an opportunity to develop valuable research skills and a deeper understanding of a specific arthritic condition and associated health and social issues.   

Students who are awarded Scholarships are usually in their final year of undergraduate study or undertaking some sort of postgraduate study at a recognised institution.  

Research projects must be clearly related to arthritis with topics to be determined by supervisors. Applications are to be prepared by supervisors in advance of a Scholarship commencing as in most cases a student will not have been selected yet for an award. As with our grants, Summer Scholarship projects must also clearly align with Arthritis NZ’s key research objectives and Research Action Plan (currently being updated). 

Most New Zealand universities offer their own Summer Scholarship opportunities. As an independent research funder, Arthritis NZ liaises closely with research office staff to provide details of our Scholarships which are advertised on their websites. 

Full details for our 2025/2026 Summer Scholarships round are available below in the documents section. The round was open from 14 July to 8 August 2025. 

For more Scholarship publications please see our Research findings and outputs webpage

Arthritis NZ established a Lupus/SLE Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2021 to provide significant financial support to emerging researchers in New Zealand to undertake research on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to advance knowledge and address identified knowledge gaps in the Lupus/SLE research field. 

Funding for this opportunity was made available through an extremely generous bequest by the late Dorothy Ashbolt.

Dr Chunhuan Lao (University of Waikato) was awarded our inaugural Lupus/SLE Postdoctoral Fellowship in July 2022 for three years. 

Our organisation is currently deciding how funding for Lupus/SLE research will be offered in future years. Details will be shared here as soon as they become available.    

*Please note the full list of Dr Lao's Lupus/SLE Postdoctoral Fellowship publications are available on our Research findings and outputs webpage