$3.2m awarded to Otago researchers

More than $3 million will be spent by southern scientists as they develop long-life solar panels, work to alleviate age-related mobility loss and try to beat drench-resistant worms.

Government science funder the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology has awarded University of Otago researchers $3.2 million from its main $48 million national push to support research that could benefit the economy.

Foundation chief executive Murray Bain confirmed most of the year's main science funding round was invested in high-tech manufacturing ($10.8 million), freshwater research ($16.4 million) and in boosting export earnings from primary production ($20.9 million).

It funded 42 contracts with 18 universities, private-sector organisations, and Crown research institutes in a strategy to ensure the people likely to use the research got what they need to tackle the world's most pressing problems, Mr Bain said.

Those problems meant Otago research teams would be funded to focus on next-generation materials for solar and other technologies, new therapeutics to slow age-related mobility loss and overcoming the drench resistance of livestock parasites.

Department of anatomy and structural biology Associate Prof Ian McLennan's team of Prof Paul Glue, Dr Kirstie Morgan and Hamish Findlay, of Otago Innovation Ltd, is developing a treatment to slow down age-related mobility loss.

Prof McLennan confirmed the $2.38 million, four-year grant would be used to translate his research into the role of a hormone, known as MIS, into clinical treatments for physical and mental conditions.

The research would be based on the idea that waning MIS causes problems that varied with gender and age, and that those problems could be reversed by MIS therapy, he said.

School of Dentistry researcher Dr Kyoko Niimi's department of oral sciences team will use a $923,392, three-year grant to tackle the increasing incidence of drench resistance in livestock parasites.

With colleagues Prof Richard Cannon and Dr Brian Monk, she will adapt a system perfected two years ago to study drug resistance in human pathogens to find ways to stop worms' cells expelling the drugs that are supposed to kill them.

Prof Cannon said researchers soon realised the system to study human fungal pathogens could be used outside of health science.

The system would be used to screen compounds to inhibitors that could be added to drenches, to ensure better products could be developed.

The department of chemistry's Prof Keith Gordon and his team will develop self-repairing organic materials that could be used to generate electricity.

Their $793,533, three-year grant will help the team develop next-generation organic photovoltaics for solar power.

They expect their plastic-based technology to provide much cheaper energy generation than conventional, silicon-based photovoltaics.

The new technology is limited by degradation, which can reduce operational lifespan.

The team will work with industry partners to develop self-repairing materials.