Grants

Every year the HERA Foundation invests about $100-150k in form of grants back into the metals engineering industry.

Our investments into the metals engineering industry are mainly in the form of post-grad scholarships and visiting expert programs.

And if you believe you have just the idea for a project which will benefit the industry do not hold back in suggesting your own project for receiving a grant.

Post-graduate scholarship

This is mostly in the form of post-grad scholarships and visiting expert programs. But do not hold back in suggesting your own grant-based project.

Every year our HERA Foundation makes a series of post graduate research scholarships available.

We established this charitable trust to drive metal based engineering research and career growth. A step that was driven by our commitment to long term sustainability for our industry. Since 1997 helping over 20 students to further their education and complete their PhD or ME.

It’s all part of our continued commitment to invest in what we believe is the future of New Zealand – our youth. Together we push research to new realms, with outcomes that in the future positively help develop our metals industry for the better through business improvement or opportunity leads.

The Foundations remit is to promote the study and understanding of ferrous and non-ferrous metals in engineering. Because of this, we encourage potential applicants to link their research proposal to heavy engineering industry related projects. And at request – offer guidance on prospective themes that we’d like to see come to life.

We’re also equally happy to have new research projects submitted if a student sees fit. We just ask that the applicant not only considers, but also demonstrates how this would bring value to our members in the long term.

Our submission process

We welcome submissions any time of the year – but in general, only approve new scholarships between March and April.

All proposals we receive go through our HERA Research Panel system for evaluation. And prior to approval, are forwarded to the HERA Foundation Trustees and their secretariat for final review.

Awards to successful applicants will then be dependent on confirmation of their registration for a PhD or Masters degree.

Prerequisites for scholarships

Our post-graduate scholarships provide support for those wishing to undertake full-time research for a PhD or Masters’s. We expect that all applicants should have a good communication level of English and proficiency to deliver reports in English as well.

To qualify, you must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident – and provide documents to support this status.

Please read these notes carefully before completing the application form below

Applicant requirements

Our post-graduate scholarships provides support for those wishing to undertake full-time research for a PhD or an MD on work that may lead to business opportunities or business improvement for the New Zealand metals-based industry.

The Foundation will only accept applications from New Zealand residents, permanent residents or citizens.

Submissions can be placed at any time, however it’s important to note that these are only approved every March/April. Here they are evaluated by our Research Panel before they are passed on to HERA Foundation for final review.

Awards to successful applicants will be dependent on confirmation of registration for a PhD or Masters degree.

Publicity Declaration

The Foundation is supported by industry and private donations and therefore has an obligation through the news media, and its own newsletters to members and supporters, to give news of projects that it is supporting. Statements concerning this are more effective if the recipient is mentioned by name. By becoming a recipient of a HERA Foundation scholarship, you automatically agree to the mention of your name to news media.

Submission and approval

Please note that applications via this portal may not fulfill all submission and approval requirements. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your application complies with all of our submission procedures and policies.

Intellectual property

All Intellectual Property owned by either party prior to the commencement of the project shall remain the property of that party. All Intellectual Property arising out of the project, the Project IP, shall be assigned to HERA and HERA Foundation in equal parts which hold the IP on behalf of the industry. HERA / HERA Foundation will have the exclusive, royalty free license to the Project IP for commercialisation in New Zealand and the rest of the world.

All research and co-funding partners such as the hosting university or an industry in-kind sponsor shall have a non-exclusive, non-assignable, royalty free license to the Project IP for research and education purposes. For commercialisation in markets non-competitive with that of HERA a mutual agreement will be required. However, the parties agree in principle that they will be supportive of individual funding partners’ efforts for further commercialisation provided that the funding contributions are recognised proportionally in any agreement to do so.

The University/Student has the right to publish research information of general scientific and academic interest in scholarly journals. The University/Student will provide HERA with a copy of any proposed publication related to the research at least 60 days prior to submission for publication. Should HERA consider that the publication contains information of a commercially sensitive nature it may request that this information is deleted or may request the University/Student to delay publication for a maximum of 12 months.

Recognition of HERA Foundation support

In recognition of the support received you recognise the following obligations:

Annual reporting during scholarship period
Final report after completion of degree
Handing over of a copy of the thesis for the HERA library
At least one presentation at relevant conference or seminar (such as Metals NZ Conference)
The obligation to promote HERA Foundation scholarships e.g. in papers or on CV
Noting the alumni promotion aspect

Funding support

Scholarships for a ME project are for 1 year and a maximum of $35,000.

PhD project are for up to 3 years and a total grant of $105,000.

The stipend going directly to the student for both PhD and Masters is limited to a maximum of $28,000 per year. The remainder of the fee paid is to support enrolment fees and other cost such as conference attendance.

Application Portal

Our application consists of two parts. The first is the general information form below which covers:

Basic contact information
Proof of eligibility
Academic information – institution information, academic record, transcripts and your personal curriculum vitae
Supervisor details and availability, and
Supporting documentation – letter of references and referee details

The second is your project proposal which is to be developed offline and uploaded separately.

We strongly recommend taking the time to create a strong project proposal element in collaboration with your elected project supervisor(s) before filling the form out below – as this will be the key aspect that your scholarship is assessed on.

1. Contact information

Name

First Last

Email

Phone

File

Accepted file types: jpg, png, pdf, Max. file size: 512 MB.

2. Eligibility

The Foundation only accepts applications for Post-Graduate scholarships from New Zealand residents, permanent residents or citizens. Please upload proof of eligibility such as New Zealand passport, drivers licence or similar.

3. Application Letter

Write a short letter (maximum one page) addressed to the Foundation trustees, explaining why you are applying for the scholarship and also what you believe are your professional plans following a successful completion of your scholarship.

4. Project Proposal

Please download your filled in Project Proposal form once you agreed the formulation of your research proposal with your supervisor and its acceptance in principle by your proposed academic institution.

Visiting Experts

Each year the HERA Foundation targets in its budget about $5,000 in the form of a travelling grant to support a visiting international industry expert. This is to provide technology transfer by participating in industry research programs and be part of a New Zealand wide seminar series.

Best know are visiting experts which have been part of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) network of experts. The list of past visiting experts is long with the most recent ones being Prof Adolf Hobbacher from the University of Wilhelmshaven, Germany: Dr Pingsha Dong, Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering; at the University of Michigan; and Robert E. Shaw, Chairman of IIW Commission XV Design, Analysis and Fabrication of Welded Structures.

Typically visiting experts are recommended by HERA research staff through the international linkage within their research programs often also with other financial support is available. However, the HERA Foundation is open to applications either directly by international experts wanting to visit New Zealand or by New Zealand researchers wishing to get an international expert to complement their research. So, if you wish to discuss an Visiting Expert application, get in contact with the Foundation Secretary.

Suggest your own grant-based project

HERA Foundation policy is to have grant fund distribution contestable and may the best ideas win in the annual funding round. Typically, applications for grants are made by HERA or metals engineering industry researchers wanting to complement their ongoing research resources. However, the trustees are supportive considering promising research ideas in the grant allocation process.

So, if you a have an idea which you feel contributes to the advancement of metals engineering and at the same time is in your view deserving financial support via charitable funding get in contact with the Foundation Secretary to discuss.