The HRC established the Catalyst in the Community Award in 2025. It recognises an individual or research team whose recent research has supported local, transformative, and cross-disciplinary research in health for any specific community in New Zealand, in partnership with that community, over a 5-year period.
The award honours an exceptional researcher or research team that has facilitated significant change or accelerated translation and uptake of findings to produce a significant impact locally in the community, bringing about transformation of health outcomes. For the purposes of this award, a community is defined as any population group, or representatives of that group, who are seeking to improve health outcomes for their population through health research. The award is for a specific body of high-impact collaborative work, in partnership with a local community, that goes beyond academia.
2025 call for nominations now closed
The 2025 Catalyst in the Community Award will be presented later this year.