At this presentation, Ako Aotearoa Research and Innovation Agenda (AARIA) Manager Dr. Marvin Hao Wu presented information on the AARIA Fund and discussed how AARIA could impact foundation education and could be of interest to the community.

The AARIA Fund seeks to contribute to systems change for the tertiary education sector and more equitable learner outcomes for innovative, ako centred research projects. We aim to contribute to:

• equitable outcomes for Māori, Pacific and neurodiverse ākonga
• a response to current global and local issues of importance, e.g. technological advances for instance A.I. and online learning
• improved systems and processes to support best practice tertiary education that focus on whole of organisational leadership and change to deliver the outcomes above, including organisational culture and design, the use of data to support planning and action and review, and the connection between the organisation and its wider partners (such as iwi, industry and community).

Presenter: 

Dr Marvin Hao Wu is the Ako Aotearoa Programme Manager, Research and Innovation. He oversees the Research and Innovation portfolio at Ako Aotearoa to ensure the effective strategic planning, decision making, and management of research projects, and contribute to team leadership and stakeholder relationship management. Dr Wu and his team launched the AARIA Contestable Fund in September 2023. The team are working to implement the AARIA Contestable Funding Round in March 2025, with a preliminary budget of $400,000.

Previously, Marvin held several roles with University of Auckland, including Research Programme Manager (Liggins Institute), Senior Research Programme Coordinator (Faculty of Medical and Health Science), Research Programme Coordinator (Faculty of Arts), with a strong background in research and portfolio management.

About the Manako Programme Webinar series

Each month the Ako Aotearoa Manako programme offers a free webinar featuring subject matter experts around topics that support educators working with adult learners.

Further information can be found on the Manako Communities of Practice Facebook groups. If you're not already a member, you're invited to join.