The $14.4 million in funding to Otago University projects was part of the an injection of $92 million into New Zealand's high-tech manufacturing, announced by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce yesterday.
The funding for high-value manufacturing and services research was the second tranche of this year's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's science investment round. Three University of Otago projects picked up a total of $13.2 million in the previous round.
A project to develop a "smart gel" for healing wounds was the Otago University project to receive the largest grant, gaining a total of $6.95 million over six years, subject to review after four years.
The medical gel would be used to prevent complications after surgery, including bleeding and adhesions or the formation of excess scar tissue.
Otago University had already been successful in selling a patent for the gel to a leading United States-based medical technology company for use in ear nose and throat surgery. The new grant would be used to adapt the gels for use elsewhere in the body.
One of the project's leaders, Prof Stephen Moratti, said in order to use the gel in other parts of the body, it needed to be made stronger.
The gel, which is derived in part from a polymer extracted from crab shell and squid, had the potential to bring huge health benefits for people recovering from surgery, he said.
It prevented the formation of excess scar tissue, which could cause infertility and even death, if it formed in the wrong place, he said.
Prof Moratti said the grant was "great news" and without it they would have been forced to "pack up and go home".
Deputy vice-chancellor, research and enterprise, Prof Richard Blaikie said he was delighted by Otago's success.
The university received more funding than any other university in the country and its success was further evidence of a strong research culture throughout the whole university, he said.
The other projects to receive funding were: $3.98 million for research into labour-saving sensors for agriculture, $910,000 towards a project seeking to diagnose cancer more accurately using the latest genomic sequencing techniques, $828,000 towards the development of a new non-invasive method for cancer detection, $866,718 towards the development of a new diagnostic test for diabetes and $827,368 for a project aimed reducing damage to donor kidneys from storage and transplant procedures.
