Research Programmes Call for Proposals 2024 investment round - Endeavour Fund | Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment

The funding available

The indicative total annual funding available is $39m (excluding GST). Each individual contract value is $0.5m (excluding GST) or more, and for a term of 3, 4, or 5 years.

For the 2024 investment round, the Science Board will aim to fund at least 19 Research Programmes proposals.

Who can apply

For proposals to be eligible under the Endeavour Research Programmes mechanism, they must:

be made by a New Zealand-based Research Organisation or a New Zealand-based legal entity representing a New Zealand-based Research Organisation
be designed so that the majority of benefits accrue outside of the Research Organisation or legal entity which represents the Research Organisation
not be made by a department of the public service as listed in Schedule 2 of the Public Service Act 2020
be made under an investment mechanism specified in the Schedules to the 2024 Gazette Notice
be for research, science or technology, or related activities, the majority of which are to be undertaken in New Zealand, unless the Science Board considers that there are compelling reasons to consider the proposals, despite the amount of research, science or technology or related activities being proposed to be undertaken overseas
not benefit a Russian state institution (including but not limited to support for Russian military or security activity) or an organisation outside government that may be perceived as contributing to the war effort
meet any applicable timing, formatting, system or other similar administrative requirements imposed by MBIE in supplying administrative services to the Science Board under section 10(7) of the RS&T Act 2010
advise that the proposed funding recipient will, and the Science Board is of the view that it can, adhere to the terms and conditions of funding set out in an investment contract determined by the Science Board
not be for activities already funded elsewhere.

In addition to the above criteria, to be eligible:

research proposals can include some out-of-scope research outcomes (health which includes cost savings to the healthcare system, defence and expanding knowledge) and remain eligible, as long as the sum of these outcomes is less than 50% of the proposal’s outcomes.

Application and assessment information

The application and assessment process includes:

Registration - applicants cannot submit a proposal until they have registered.
Applicant submits a proposal.
Independent Assessors review and score the proposal against the Excellence assessment criteria.
The Science Board decides if the proposal is eligible.
Based on the Assessor reviews and scores, the Science Board decides which proposals progress to Impact assessment.
Independent Assessors review and score proposals against Impact assessment criteria.
The Science Board makes its investment decisions using the Assessor reviews and scores, and the portfolio approach.

Completing your registration and submitting proposals

Applicants are required to complete their registration and submit proposals in Pītau our Investment Management System – a secure online portal. To help you prepare your registration and proposals we have provided 2 templates:

Research Programmes Registration template
Research Programmes Proposal template

These templates are in the key documents section below.

Key dates

Activity	Date
Registration period	30 October until 12 noon, 6 December 2023
Full proposal submission period	30 October 2023 until 12 noon, 6 March 2024
Roadshows	2, 10, 11, October 2023
Assessment of Excellence	21 March to 8 April 2024
Science Board makes decision on Excellence	15 May 2024
Applicants are notified of Science Board decision on Excellence	22 May 2024
Assessment of Impact	23 May to 5 June 2024
Science Board makes funding decisions	28 August 2024
Applicants are notified of Science Board final funding decisions	Late September 2024
Funding decisions announced	Late September 2024
Applicant feedback	Late September 2024
Contracts begin	1 October 2024

Dates are subject to change. If they change, we’ll let you know by email. To be added to the email list, email:

endeavour@mbie.govt.nz

You can also subscribe to our Alert e-newsletter.

Subscribe here(external link)

Endeavour Fund Roadshows: 2024 Investment Round

Join us for the virtual Endeavour Fund Roadshows for the 2024 Investment Round on 2, 10, and 11 October 2023. This is an opportunity for the research community to engage with the Endeavour Team.

At the Roadshows, we will provide everything you need to know about the 2024 Investment Round for both the Smart Ideas and Research Programmes funding mechanisms.

The Roadshow is held via a Zoom webinar. It is scheduled for 2 hours. The first hour is a webinar presentation given by MBIE, followed by an hour for Q&A. While free to attend, numbers are limited, so please register using 1 of the registration links below to secure your place.

Roadshow 1

Monday 2 October 2023: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Register for roadshow 1(external link) — Zoom

Roadshow 2

Tuesday 10 October 2023: 1.00 pm – 3:00 pm

Register for roadshow 2(external link) — Zoom

Roadshow 3

Wednesday 11 October 2023: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Register for roadshow 3(external link) — Zoom

The webinar presentation will be recorded and published on this page before the end of October 2023.

Contact: Endeavour.roadshows@mbie.govt.nz

Key documents

When developing your proposal, we encourage you to consult the following key reference documents:

Endeavour Fund 2024 Investment Round Gazette Notice(external link) — gazette.govt.nz

Endeavour Fund

The assessment criteria

Assessors will assess proposals on each of the criteria (below) and then score them from 1 (Low quality) to 7 (High quality). Each proposal will be assessed and scored by up to 8 Assessors (4 for Excellence and 4 for Impact). Proposals will be assessed for Impact under either the Protect and Value category or the Transform category. These categories are defined in the Endeavour Fund 2024 Investment Round Gazette Notice and the Endeavour Fund Investment Plan 2022-2024.

See the assessment and scoring guidance pages here:

Assessment and scoring guidance - Research Programmes 2024 Investment Round

Excellence

Excellence: Science Criterion (25% weighting)

Research should be well-designed, involve risk and/or novelty, and leverage additional value from wider research.

When assessing the Science criterion, Assessors will consider how well the proposal addresses each of the following questions:

Will the research, science or technology or related activities, progress and disseminate new knowledge?
Does the proposal have a well-designed research plan and a credible approach to risk management?
Is the proposal ambitious in terms of scientific risk, technical risk, novelty and/or innovative approaches?
Is the proposal well-positioned in the domestic and international research context?
Does the proposal recognise the distinctive research, science and innovation contributions of Māori people, knowledge and resources, including Mātauranga Māori?

Excellence: Team Criterion (25% weighting)

The proposed team should have the mix of complementary skills, knowledge, and resources to deliver the proposed research, science or technology, or related activities, and to manage risk.

When assessing the Team criterion, Assessors will consider how well the proposal addresses each of the following questions:

Does the team have the appropriate mix of complementary skills, knowledge, and resources for the research?
Does the team give confidence in their ability to deliver the proposed research, science, technology, or related activities and manage risks?
Does the team have the appropriate Māori expertise for the project?

Impact (Protect and Add Value category)

Impact: Benefit to New Zealand (25% weighting)

Research should have direct and indirect benefits or effect on individuals, communities, or society as a whole, including broad benefits to New Zealand’s economy, environment or society.

When assessing the Benefit to New Zealand criterion, Assessors will consider how well the proposal addresses each of the following questions:

What is the scale and extent of potential direct and indirect benefits from the proposed research, science or technology, or related activities?
What is the extent of alignment with one or more areas of future additional value, growth or critical need for New Zealand?
To what extent has the project identified and evaluated the potential impacts for Māori?

Impact: Implementation Pathways (25% weighting)

Research should have (a) credible pathway(s) to deliver public benefit to New Zealand that is not limited to a single firm or end-user and has a line of sight to impact.

When assessing the Implementation Pathway(s) criterion, Assessors will consider how well the proposal addresses each of the following questions:

Does the proposal provide credible end- or next-user information, to confirm that the implementation pathway(s) is appropriate for the state of the sector or the stage of the research?
Does the proposal provide (a) credible implementation pathway(s) to deliver benefits to New Zealand, not limited to a single firm or end-user?
Is there evidence of a strong relationship with end- or next-users and stakeholders?
Is the mix of skills and experience within the team complementary and relevant to achieving impact from what is proposed?
Does the proposal include sufficient input from Māori that is adequately resourced, at the appropriate stage(s) of the project, to ensure effective implementation?

If the Implementation Pathway(s) is limited to a single firm or end-user, the Implementation Pathway(s) score must be 1.

Impact (Transform category)

Impact: Benefit to New Zealand (25% weighting)

Research should have direct and indirect benefits or effect on individuals, communities, or society as a whole, including broad benefits to New Zealand’s economy, environment or society.

When assessing the Benefit to New Zealand criterion, Assessors will consider how well the proposal addresses each of the following questions:

To what extent are the outcome(s) enabled by the research a Radical Change and/or a leap in performance versus the status quo, and will the impact also transform New Zealand’s economy, society or environment?
To what extent will the outcomes of the proposal align with one or more areas of future additional value, growth or critical need for New Zealand?
To what extent has the project identified and evaluated the potential impacts for Māori?

The focus of assessment for proposals in the Transform category is on the nature rather than the size of the impact. Evidence of a large impact will not be taken as conclusive evidence of a transformational impact.

Impact: Implementation Pathways (25% weighting)

Research should have (a) credible indicative implementation pathway(s) to deliver public benefit to New Zealand that is not limited to a single firm or end-user, and an understanding of the barriers to impact.

When assessing the Implementation Pathway(s) criterion, Assessors will consider how well the proposal addresses each of the following questions:

Does the proposal demonstrate an understanding of the enablers and barriers in potential implementation pathway(s) to deliver public benefits to New Zealand?
Does the proposal provide (a) credible indicative implementation pathway(s) to deliver benefits to New Zealand, not limited to a single end-user?
Have the indicative end- or next-users, beneficiaries, and stakeholders been identified?
Is the mix of skills and experience within the team complementary and relevant to achieving impact from what is proposed?
Does the proposal include sufficient input from Māori that is adequately resourced, at the appropriate stage(s) of the project, to ensure effective implementation?

If the Implementation Pathway(s) is limited to a single firm or end-user, the Implementation Pathway(s) score must be 1.

Vision Mātauranga Assessment

Vision Mātauranga

The Excellence and Impact assessments include Vision Mātauranga. Assessors will also be asked:

In their opinion, how well will the project give effect to the Vision Mātauranga Policy (for example, realise the potential of Māori people, knowledge, and resources), and reflect genuine, fit-for-purpose approaches? And consider the specific activities, output and outcomes described, and whether they will create impact for Māori.

Assessors will choose from: Exceptional / Very Well / Well / Not Well / Absent.

Conflicts of interest

We will publish the membership of the College of Assessors on our College of Assessors webpage.

College of Assesors

If you identify that an Assessor has an actual, potential, or perceived direct or indirect conflict of interest, declare this in the Conflicts of Interest section of your application. If you discover a potential conflict of interest after proposal submission, you must notify us immediately with details of the conflict to:

endeavour@mbie.govt.nz

Conflicts of interest may occur on 2 different levels:

A direct conflict of interest, where an Assessor is:

directly involved with a proposal (as a participant, manager, mentor, or partner) or has a close personal relationship with the applicant, for example, family members, or
a collaborator or in some other way involved with an applicant’s proposal.

An indirect conflict of interest, where an Assessor:

is employed by an organisation involved in a proposal but is not part of the applicant’s proposal
has a personal and/or professional relationship with 1 of the applicants, for example, an acquaintance
is assessing a proposal under discussion that may compete with their business interests.

Investment decisions

The Science Board decides on eligibility and makes the investment decisions in accordance with the Endeavour Fund 2024 Investment Round Gazette Notice, considering:

independent Assessor reviews and scores, and portfolio balancing
investment signals and targets in the Endeavour Fund Investment Plan 2022-2024.

The Science Board may decide to invest less than the total funding indicated in the Gazette Notice.

Contracting, payment, reporting and monitoring

Contracting (variation process)

If the Science Board decides to invest in your proposal, MBIE will enter into a Science Investment Contract and an associated Work Programme Agreement with your organisation (subject to any pre-contract conditions being met). A sample contract is available in our key documents section.

The Science Board may:

set pre-contract conditions that must be met before MBIE, and the applicant organisation can enter into a Science Investment Contract or any Work Programme Agreement
set special contract conditions, and/or
vary the amount of funding allocated from that requested.

Payments

For successful applicants, the total funding over the term of the contract will be split into equal monthly payments and paid in advance.

Reporting and monitoring

Successful applicants will be required to report once a year in Pītau – our online portal. Reporting guidance and reporting templates are published annually.

Annual Report

We will require all contract holders to complete an annual report and include progress against the deliverables and tasks identified in the work programme, details of any emerging risks, and what is being done to address them. See the annual reporting template in the key documents section.

Final Report

A final report is required at the end of the project and will include commentary on the overall project outcomes, including key achievements, the steps taken and, where applicable, the changes made to your approach. The final report uses the same template as the annual report with some more in-depth answers required in some sections.

Contact

Email: endeavour@mbie.govt.nz

Phone: 0800 693 778 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm)