Instructions for applicants

On this page:

General Instructions

• For all contact PIs: You will receive a URL that will give you access to your personal details, a list of all proposals in the round that you are named on, and access to the proposal that you are contact PI on.

• When you log in, you will reach a screen that is personalised for you and shows your contact details. Please check and amend these if necessary (using edit & save), and work your way down the left hand side of the menu: contact details, PhD details (Fast-Start contact PIs only), research expertise, gender / ethnicity, and finally personal terms and conditions.

• If you have applied in previous years, acceptance of the personal terms and conditions will be carried over. Please note that acceptance of personal Ts and Cs is mandatory for the proposal to be submitted.

• Please click on the "Applications" button (left hand menu) for a list of the proposals that you are named on for the current round. You can access any proposal by clicking on the triangle next to the "I Agree" button. At any time you can navigate back to your personal pages by clicking on the blue "Researcher" link on the bottom left.

• If you are contact PI, you will be able to access and edit your proposal. If you are co-PI or AI, you will have read-only access only to the proposal. You can access the guidelines, templates and instructions on the bottom left of the page.

• Once an application is registered with you as the contact PI, you can login and add to it or change it as often as you like. The names of the PIs and AIs should be entered before doing the CVs and FTE tables. Once this has been done, the sections can be worked on in any order.

• All the navigation links are down the left-hand edge of the page. Do not use the “Back” button on your web browser.

• Each page displays a generic set of buttons. These will be greyed-out when they are not relevant to a particular page or appropriate for the information being added.

• For each section, information is not saved until the SAVE button has been pressed. When you are adding information to a text box (for the Summary, for example), unless you save regularly information can be lost through timing out, which is set at 20 minutes.

• Start entering or changing information by clicking the ADD or EDIT buttons. On some pages you do this a number of times, e.g. for each researcher.

• The SAVE, EDIT, CANCEL and ADD and DELETE buttons may be at the bottom of the page below your screen. Scroll down to find them.
• Don’t forget to LOGOUT when you have finished. Failure to do this maintains a link to the server, which can slow it down at peak times.

Login and Bookmark

To login, use the URL emailed to you by your Coordinator. If you bookmark your URL (or add it to your "Favourites"), you will need to modify it to ensure that the Location (or URL for "Favourites") of the bookmark is the URL sent to you in your email. This is to remove the encryption that appears in the web address when you are using the portal. Having created the bookmark, you should right-click on the bookmark, select Properties, and then paste the URL from your email into the Location, and Save. Further instructions, for example on bookmarking in Macs, can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions, available from the bottom of the left hand menu in Proposal On-Line.

Templates

Several sections of the proposal are completed by attaching documents prepared using the applicant’s own PC. Templates for these documents are provided from the "Templates" page which can be accessed from the grey box at the bottom of the left hand menu. You can choose the correct templates by selecting the appropriate grant category (Fast-Start, Standard or Marsden Fund Council Award) first. Save the file to the folder you have created for all the proposal documents. Once you have uploaded a document to the portal, it is converted to a PDF, for incorporation in the application. This may take half a minute or so, depending on demand on the portal. To ensure that the conversion to a PDF has occurred, check that the "PDF Exists" box has been ticked on the portal. To check the box, you will need to refresh the page by clicking on another menu item (e.g. "Summary"), before reselecting the page. If you revise a document that has already been uploaded, simply load the revised document over the top of the existing document.

Uploading Documents

Documents can be attached as MS Word (DOCX), ODT, RTF or, if necessary, in PDF format. Applicants who have prepared their information using LaTeX will need to convert them to a PDF file before attaching them. Always ensure that you cancel "Track Changes" before attaching your document.

Entering Character Codes

There are two types of entry of information used on the Proposals On-Line web portal:

1. Text boxes to be filled in by the applicant (e.g., project title and summary sections). The text boxes now accept a much larger range of symbols, and the portal is much more accepting of text that is copied and pasted from a Word document. For example, text with macrons, such as the word, "Māori", may be copied and pasted from a Word document, and the macron will be retained. And some Greek symbols can be copied and pasted too. In some cases, though, the use of character codes (as described below) will be required, but some characters (e.g. certain Greek symbols) will not be able to be entered, whatever approach you take.
2. Documents that can be uploaded by the applicant (e.g., Sections 3 and 5, for which the templates are available from Proposals On-Line).

For text boxes there is an extended character set which will enable you to “type” characters not otherwise seen on your keyboard such as a dieresis or umlaut above o (ö); an acute above e (é); and the plus-minus sign (±). This should allow you to fill in some character codes in the text boxes of the web portal. For uploaded documents there should be the full character set available to you on your word processing program. Under the Windows environment the character set can be displayed using the application Character Map (charmap.exe) for a particular font like Times New Roman. Then you can see what extended character you would like and: (i) copy/paste; or (ii) use a combination of keystrokes to obtain the character in the bottom right hand corner of the application.

1. “Select” and then “Copy” the character and paste to the online text box.
2. Alternatively, use a combination of keystrokes to obtain the character in the bottom right hand corner of the application. For example, to get the small letter ‘e’ with acute is keystroke Alt+0233 (é). This means to press and hold the alt key while typing 0233 on the numerical keypad (numpad). Laptop keyboards often do not have a numpad, but may provide numpad input by holding a modifier key (typically labelled "Fn") and operating keys on the standard keyboard.

We hope to extend the support to Macintosh OS X and unix-based systems on how to access the extended character set in the near future. Suggestions and improvements to this information are welcomed.

Commonly Used Character Codes

Completing the EOI Proposal (Fast-Start and Standard)

NOTE: An easy way to check the progress of your proposal is by clicking on the "Status of Application" section on the left hand side. This will show which sections of the proposal have been completed (in green), which are still to be done (in red). It will also list the people named on the proposal and whether they have filled in their details or not.

1A. Title of Proposal and Panel

Click the EDIT button and then enter the project title. Click the SAVE button to save it. Also enter the panel to which you are submitting your proposal.

1B. Contact PI

As above, there is a separate "People" section on the portal for you to confirm your contact and other details. Your URL will automatically direct you to this section. You can also navigate there from the proposal by clicking on the "Researcher" button (left, bottom) to go to this section. Note that there are several pages within this section that need to be completed, the last of which is the personal Terms and Conditions page. Please note that any personal statistical information and FOR codes will NOT be shared with panels or referees. Please read the Applications (plus Ts and Cs) page and tick to accept (note: this is not the same as the proposal declaration).

You can navigate back to your proposal by going to the "Applications (plus Ts and Cs)" page and clicking on the triangle next to the proposal that you are named as a contact PI on.

ORCID There is a facility in the "People" section of the portal for each named investigator to add or create an ORCID ID. An ORCID ID is preferred for all named investigators, but is not mandatory. To add your ORCID ID, or to create one, please click on the "Create or Connect your ORCID ID" button on the top right of the "Contact Details" section and follow instructions.

The Applications / Ts and Cs page will show a list of applications that you are named on. You will need to click the "I Agree" box next to each proposal that you are named on to indicate your agreement.

NOTE: If you ticked off the personal Terms and Conditions in previous years, this agreement will be carried over; however agreement to be on a specific proposal or proposals must be completed each year.

1B. Other Principal Investigators (Standard proposals only)

Click ADD to insert a new PI. Click EDIT to enter or change a person’s details. Note: this is the only place where the PIs can be added. Include PIs who are also subcontractors here. Finish by clicking the SAVE button. Note that the names and institutions of all PIs and AIs appear in section 1B in a PDF of the application but their contact details do not appear.

1B. Associate Investigators

Click ADD to insert a new AI. Click EDIT to enter or change a person’s details. Note: This is the only place where AIs can be added. Finish by clicking the SAVE button. Note that the names and institutions of all PIs and AIs appear in section 1B in a PDF of the application but their contact details do not appear.

1B. Mentor (Fast-Start proposals only)

Click ADD to insert a mentor. Click EDIT to enter or change a person’s details. Finish by clicking the SAVE button. As above, the name and institutions of mentors are shown in a proposal PDF, but their contact details are not shown.

It is only possible to add one mentor for each Fast-Start proposal.

FOR ALL NAMED INVESTIGATORS:

We request that all named investigators other than the contact PI (except any named post-docs or students), including any Fast-Start mentors, confirm their contact and other details themselves. To do this, the contact PI needs to enter other investigators' email addresses, click "Save" and then click the "Email Researcher Portal Login" button to send them an email containing their personal login code. This will give them access to their details on the People pages. They will need to tick the personal terms and conditions page after entering their details, and tick the "I Agree" box next to each application that they are listed on. Contact PIs and research offices can check the progress of data entry by clicking on the "Status of Application" page.

ORCID There is a facility in the "People" section of the portal for each named investigator to add or create an ORCID ID. An ORCID ID is preferred for all named investigators, but is not mandatory. Please click on the "Create or Connect your ORCID ID" button on the top right of the "Contact Details" section and follow instructions.

1C. Fields of Research (FOR), SEOs, Type of Research Activity

Fields of Research codes, SEOs and Type of Research Activity are all part of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC). These codes have recently been updated to give ANZSRC 2020. Further information can be found here.

The FOR codes are a standardised Australian and New Zealand set used to classify research. A link, "FOR Calculator", on this web page allows you to easily find codes relevant to your research. This is much easier to use than scrolling down the list on the drop-down menu. You can enter up to 3 codes.  If you wish to remove a code, replace it with the first line from the drop-down list, which is blank. Please indicate the % share of each FOR code to the proposed research. The shares should add up to 100%. 

The key words are common to all 3 codes and only need be entered once. Use commas or semicolons to separate key words or phrases, not the "enter" key.

The SEO codes are also a standardised Australian and New Zealand set used to classify research. Please indicate the % share of each FOR code to the proposed research. The shares should add up to 100%. SEOs are available from a drop-down list on the portal, and are also found here.

The key words associated with the SEOs are common to all 3 codes and only need be entered once. Use commas or semicolons to separate key words or phrases, not the "enter" key.

The types of research activity are also a standardised Australian and New Zealand set used to classify research. The default setting on the portal is Basic, 100%; however this can be changed. Definitions of the types of research activity can be found here.

1D. Summary

Click the EDIT button and then enter the Summary of the proposal (maximum of 100 words). Click the SAVE button to save it. Please note that the portal has been upgraded so that most symbols, such as macrons, and inverted commas, can be copied from a Word document and will appear in the PDF of the proposal. If there are any rogue symbols in the PDF, the solution is to enter the symbols directly from the keyboard into the web text box (rather than pasting them in from a document). When typing symbols into web text boxes, it may be useful to make use of the character map (Start menu / Programs / Accessories / System Tools).

2. Vision Mātauranga

For the first round, this is an on-line section to identify which, if any, of the four themes of Vision Mātauranga are associated with the proposal. If any of the themes apply to the proposal, a 1-page Vision Mātauranga discussion will be available at the second round.

A comment box is included on the portal for applicants to explain their rationale, whether they choose N/A or one or more themes.

3A. Abstract

This has to be added as an attached document that also includes the References. If you have not already downloaded the template, do this by clicking on the "Templates" page in the grey box at the bottom of the left hand menu. Prepare your document (which may include images), save it in DOCX, ODT, RTF or PDF format. Follow the instructions above (Uploading Documents) for attaching the file. The document will remain in whichever format you attached it, but for displaying and printing, the system will convert it to a PDF file. If you decide to update a previously attached document, go through the same process. The new file overwrites the existing one. The Abstract is limited to one page.

3B. References

These are also added as part of the attached document that starts with the Abstract. References are limited to three pages.

3C. Roles and Resources

This is uploaded as a second attached document and is limited to one page. Download the template by clicking on the "Templates" page in the grey box at the bottom of the left hand menu.

4. Personnel (FTEs)

Complete Section 1 before starting on this section. Any PIs and AIs previously entered will automatically be shown. Click each person’s name and then EDIT to change their details. Then SAVE. You can add other types of researchers, e.g. post-docs (but not PIs or AIs) here by selecting their role and clicking the ADD button. Leave the name fields blank if the person is as yet unknown, but do enter the FTE levels.

To change the FTE values in the table, click EDIT FTEs. All FTEs, for all the research team, can be edited at the same time - there is no need to select another record and repeat the EDIT/SAVE routine. [However, please note that if the details of a team member have just been edited and saved, the EDIT FTEs button will not respond until another person has been selected or, in the event that there is only one team member, you have left the page and then returned again. (This is a small bug that will be fixed)].

To save FTE values, click SAVE FTEs. Note that the duration of the proposal (1, 2, or 3 years) is implied by filling in the FTE values for the appropriate number of years.

5. Curriculum Vitae and Publications

These are added as an attached document in the same way as for the Abstract, References, etc. A separate document is required for each PI, AI and named postdoc. The template is available from the "Templates" page in the grey box at the bottom of the left hand menu.The names of all the investigators are shown in a table at the bottom of the web page. Navigate to each person by clicking on their name, then upload their CV. Remember also to refresh the page (by going to another page, and then returning), and then check that the CV and PDF boxes have been ticked by the portal (indicating that the CV has been loaded and that it has been converted to a PDF).

For Fast-Start PIs only: You will have a choice of the usual CV template, or a narrative CV template. The page limits are the same for each. When you upload your CV, you will be asked whether you have used the narrative template or not.

6. Other Funding

If funding has been sought from other sources for the same purpose, please record that request here.

7. Declaration by Duly Authorised Agent

This page simply requires the applicant to tick a box, on a declaration. Institutions will sign off in a single document that covers all proposals but is, otherwise, the same:

"The information you provide in your application is used by the Royal Society Te Apārangi and the Marsden Fund Council to evaluate your application. Your contact details may also be used to communicate with you about other Royal Society Te Apārangi activities.

Your information is stored in a secure environment with access limited to authorised staff, external panel members and reviewers in order for your application to be evaluated.

We may notify other funding agencies of your funding application to ensure that there is no duplication of funding.

Application information may be subject to release under the Official Information Act 1982, as it is deemed to be held by MBIE who engage the Royal Society Te Apārangi to manage the Marsden Fund.

If your application is successful, Royal Society Te Apārangi and the Marsden Fund Council will publish your name, a description of the project, and the amount of funding, and may, with your permission, summarise your application for use in publicity such as press releases or published articles.

Unless required by law, your information will not be disclosed to any other party.

You have the right to access your information and ask for it to be updated or corrected.

We will keep information we hold about you indefinitely unless you request otherwise.

As the Principal Investigator, you:

i) Take full responsibility for the content of the application, including the suitability and validity of cited sources and originality of content.

ii) Confirm that everyone named in this proposal, including any collaborators or advisors, has given their consent to be on the proposal.

Any questions or concerns please email the Privacy Officer".

Preview/Print Application

Clicking each button (Application, Declaration, or All) will bring up a PDF file showing each part of the proposal. You can print from here to have a physical copy. Once you are happy with the proposal, click the "Check Application" button.

If all required sections are complete, "Checked OK" will appear, and you can click "Mark as Completed" at the bottom of the page. This will flag to your institution coordinator that the proposal is complete. It is possible to make changes to a proposal after it has been marked as "Completed" but you must confer with your research office first.

If there are some sections that have not been completed, these will show up after "Check Application" has been clicked. These are either flagged as:

"Error" - proposal cannot be completed without it (eg. CVs, proposal template, agreement of named investigators).

"Warning" - information missing, but proposal can still be completed. This includes FTEs and personal statistical information.

Completing a Marsden Fund Council Award Proposal

NOTE: An easy way to check the progress of your proposal is by clicking on the new "Status of Application" section on the left hand side. This will show which sections of the proposal have been completed (in green), which are still to be done (in red). It will also list the people named on the proposal and whether they have filled in their details or not.

1A. Title of Proposal

Click the EDIT button and then enter the project title. Click the SAVE button to save it.

1B. Contact PI

There is a separate "People" section on the portal for you to confirm your contact and other details. Your URL will automatically direct you to this section. You can also navigate there from the proposal by clicking on the "Researcher" button (left, bottom) to go to this section. Note that there are several pages within this section that need to be completed, the last of which is the personal Terms and Conditions page. Please note that any statistical information and FOR codes will NOT be shared with panels or referees. Please read the Terms and Conditions page and tick to accept (note: this is not the same as the proposal declaration).

ORCID There is a facility in the "People" section of the portal for each named investigator to add or create an ORCID ID. An ORCID ID is preferred for all named investigators, but is not mandatory. To add your ORCID ID, or to create one, please click on the "Create or Connect your ORCID ID" button on the top right of the "Contact Details" section and follow instructions.

The Applications / Ts and Cs page will show a list of applications that you are named on. You will need to click the "I Agree" box next to each proposal that you are named on to indicate your agreement.

NOTE: If you ticked off the personal Terms and Conditions in previous years, this agreement will be carried over; however agreement to be on a specific proposal or proposals must be completed each year.

1B. Other Principal Investigators

Click ADD to insert a new PI. Click EDIT to enter or change a person’s details. Note: this is the only place where the PIs can be added. Include PIs who are also subcontractors here. Finish by clicking the SAVE button. Note that the names and institutions of all PIs and AIs appear in Section 1B of a PDF of the application but their contact details do not appear.

1B. Associate Investigators

Click ADD to insert a new AI. Click EDIT to enter or change a person’s details. Note: This is the only place where AIs can be added. Finish by clicking the SAVE button. Note that the names and institutions of all PIs and AIs appear in Section 1B of a PDF of the application but their contact details do not appear.

FOR ALL NAMED INVESTIGATORS:

We request that all named investigators other than the contact PI (except any named post-docs or students) confirm their contact and other details themselves. To do this, the contact PI needs to enter other investigators' email addresses, click "Save" and then click the "Email People Portal Login" button to send them an email containing their personal login code. This will give them access to their details on the People pages. They will need to tick the personal terms and conditions page after entering their details and tick the "I Agree" box next to each proposal that they are listed on. Contact PIs and research offices can check the progress of data entry by clicking on the "Status of Application" page.

ORCID There is a facility in the "People" section of the portal for each named investigator to add or create an ORCID ID. An ORCID ID is preferred for all named investigators, but is not mandatory. Please click on the "Create or Connect your ORCID ID" button on the top right of the "Contact Details" section and follow instructions.

1C. Fields of Research (FOR), SEOs, Type of Research Activity

Fields of Research codes, SEOs and Type of Research Activity are all part of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC). These codes have recently been updated to give ANZSRC 2020. Further information can be found here.

The FOR codes are a standardised Australian and New Zealand set used to classify research. A link, "FOR Calculator", on this web page allows you to easily find codes relevant to your research. This is much easier to use than scrolling down the list on the drop-down menu. You can enter up to 3 codes.  If you wish to remove a code, replace it with the first line from the drop-down list, which is blank. Please indicate the % share of each FOR code to the proposed research. The shares should add up to 100%. 

The key words are common to all 3 codes and only need be entered once. Use commas or semicolons to separate key words or phrases, not the "enter" key.

The SEO codes are also a standardised Australian and New Zealand set used to classify research. Please indicate the % share of each FOR code to the proposed research. The shares should add up to 100%. SEOs are available from a drop-down list on the portal, and are also found here.

The key words associated with the SEOs are common to all 3 codes and only need be entered once. Use commas or semicolons to separate key words or phrases, not the "enter" key.

The types of research activity are also a standardised Australian and New Zealand set used to classify research. The default setting on the portal is Basic, 100%; however this can be changed. Definitions of the types of research activity can be found here. 

1D. Summary

Click the EDIT button and then enter the Summary of the proposal (maximum of 200 words). Click the SAVE button to save it. Please note that the portal has been upgraded so that most symbols, such as macrons, and inverted commas, can be copied from a Word document and will appear in the PDF of the proposal. If there are any rogue symbols in the PDF, the solution is to enter the symbols directly from the keyboard into the web text box (rather than pasting them in from a document). When typing symbols into web text boxes, it may be useful to make use of the character map (Start menu / Programs / Accessories / System Tools).

2. Vision Matauranga themes

Please select "Edit", fill in the appropriate boxes, and "Save".

A comment box is included on the portal for applicants to explain their rationale, whether they choose N/A or one or more themes.

3A. Background

This has to be added as an attached document that includes Sections 3A-3G. The template may be obtained from the "Templates" menu option on the left, or from the page, "Proposal ...". Prepare your document (which may include images), and save it in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format. These options are recommended over a PDF. (If you wish to save it as a PDF from a DOCX file, please adopt this procedure: Click the “Options” button on the “Save As” dialog. Then click “Options” and tick the “ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)” box. This greys out the “Bitmap text…” option. Also untick the “Create bookmarks…” and “Document structure…”.). Follow the instructions above (Part D – Attaching Documents) for attaching the file. Ensure that you cancel "Track Changes". The document will remain in whichever format you attached it, but for displaying and printing, the system will convert it to a PDF file. If you decide to update a previously attached document, go through the same process. The new file overwrites the existing one. You can also retrieve an attached document to work on by clicking the appropriate link in the “Get Attachment” column, then, when you are ready, the document can be re-attached. You can also completely remove an attached file by clicking the REMOVE ATTACHMENT button. Don’t forget to click the REFRESH PAGE button until the PDF Ready entry shows “True”.

3B. Overall Aim of the Research

This is part of the attached document that starts with the Background.

3C. Proposed Research

This is part of the attached document that starts with the Background.

3D. Vision Matauranga discussion

If one or more themes has been identified in Section 2, please include a discussion of Vision Matauranga. This is part of the attached document (3A-3G) that starts with the Background.

3E. Specific Methodologies for the Proposed Research

This is part of the attached document (3A-3G) that starts with the Background. Limit 3 pages.

3F. Assessment Criteria

This is part of the attached document (3A-3G) that starts with the Background. Limit 2 pages.

3G. References

This is part of the attached document (3A-3G) that starts with the Background. Limit 4 pages.

3H. Timetable

This is a second uploaded document, by popular request, so that the References appear at the end of the previous document (which makes it easier to use bibliographic programs such as Endnote).

3I. Roles and Resources

This is part of the attached document that starts with the Timetable.

3J. Ethical or Regulatory Obligations

This is part of the attached document that starts with the Timetable.

4. Personnel (FTEs)

Complete Section 1 before starting on this section. Any PIs and AIs previously entered will automatically be shown. Click each person’s name and then EDIT to change their details. Then SAVE. You can add other types of researchers, e.g. post-docs (but not PIs or AIs) here by selecting their role and clicking the ADD button. Leave the name fields blank if the person is as yet unknown, but do enter the FTE levels.

To change the FTE values in the table, click EDIT FTEs. All FTEs, for all the research team, can be edited at the same time - there is no need to select another record and repeat the EDIT/SAVE routine. [However, please note that if the details of a team member have just been edited and saved, the EDIT FTEs button will not respond until another person has been selected or, in the event that there is only one team member, you have left the page and then returned again. (This is a small bug that will be fixed)].

To save FTE values, click SAVE FTEs. Note that the duration of the proposal (1, 2, or 3 years) is implied by filling in the FTE values for the appropriate number of years.

5. Curriculum Vitae and Publications

These are added as an attached document in the same way as for the Abstract, References, etc. A separate document is required for each PI, AI and named postdoc. The template is available from the "Templates" page in the grey box at the bottom of the left hand menu.The names of all the investigators are shown in a table at the bottom of the web page. Navigate to each person by clicking on their name, then upload their CV. Note that Part 1 of the CV is limited to two pages, and Part 2 to three pages. Remember also to refresh the page (by going to another page, and then returning), and then check that the CV and PDF boxes have been ticked by the portal (indicating that the CV has been loaded and that it has been converted to a PDF).

6-7. Budget

This is an Excel document that needs to be uploaded from the templates section. It has two worksheets, with the second worksheet automatically providing some values for the first worksheet, so please enter values for the direct costs and sub-contractors on the second page, not on the first page. On the Excel spreadsheet, some formulae are incorporated in the "totals" and "sub-totals" rows. However, these formulae are not write-protected.

8. Other Funding

This section is uploaded as an attached document. The template is available from the "Templates" page in the grey box at the bottom of the left hand menu. Limit 2 pages.

9. Declaration

This page simply requires the applicant to tick a box, on a declaration. Institutions will sign off in a single document that covers all proposals but is, otherwise, the same:

"The information you provide in your application is used by the Royal Society Te Apārangi and the Marsden Fund Council to evaluate your application. Your contact details may also be used to communicate with you about other Royal Society Te Apārangi activities.

Your information is stored in a secure environment with access limited to authorised staff, external panel members and reviewers in order for your application to be evaluated.

We may notify other funding agencies of your funding application to ensure that there is no duplication of funding.

Application information may be subject to release under the Official Information Act 1982, as it is deemed to be held by MBIE who engage the Royal Society Te Apārangi to manage the Marsden Fund.

If your application is successful, Royal Society Te Apārangi and the Marsden Fund Council will publish your name, a description of the project, and the amount of funding, and may, with your permission, summarise your application for use in publicity such as press releases or published articles.

Unless required by law, your information will not be disclosed to any other party.

You have the right to access your information and ask for it to be updated or corrected.

We will keep information we hold about you indefinitely unless you request otherwise.

As the Principal Investigator, you:

i) Take full responsibility for the content of the application, including the suitability and validity of cited sources and originality of content.

ii) Confirm that everyone named in this proposal, including any collaborators or advisors, has given their consent to be on the proposal.

Any questions or concerns please email the Privacy Officer".

Preview/Print Application

Clicking each button (Application, Declaration, or All) will bring up a PDF file showing each part of the proposal. You can print from here to have a physical copy. Once you are happy with the proposal, click the "Check Application" button.

If all required sections are complete, "Checked OK" will appear, and you can click "Mark as Completed" at the bottom of the page. This will flag to your institution coordinator that the proposal is complete. It is possible to make changes to a proposal after it has been marked as "Completed" but you must confer with your research office first.

If there are some sections that have not been completed, these will show up after "Check Application" has been clicked. These are either flagged as:

"Error" - proposal cannot be completed without it (eg. CVs, proposal template, agreement of named investigators).

"Warning" - information missing, but proposal can still be completed. This includes FTEs and personal statistical information.

Completing the Full Proposal (Fast-Start and Standard)

1A. Title of Proposal and Panel

Click the EDIT button if you wish to change the title, which has been entered from your EOI (and please seek approval from the Marsden Fund office of the change: marsden@royalsociety.org.nz). Click the SAVE button to save it.

The panel cannot be changed.

1B. Contact PI

Click the EDIT button if you wish to change any of the contact information, which has been entered from the Marsden Fund database, based on information from your EOI. Click the SAVE button to save your changes. Fields with a light-coloured background (Role, Last name, First name) cannot be changed. Please note that the "Address" field will now contain the department, institution, and city, unlike the preliminary round where the "Address" field contained information other than department, institution, and city.

1B. Other Principal Investigators (Standard proposals only)

As for "Contact PI". Principal Investigators can only be added in extraordinary circumstances, with the permission of the Marsden Fund.

1B. Associate Investigators

As for "Contact PI". Associate Investigators can only be added in extraordinary circumstances, with the permission of the Marsden Fund.

1B. Mentor (Fast-Start proposals only)

As for "Contact PI".

1C. Fields of Research

This is carried over from the EOI round and does not appear on the portal.

1D. Summary

Click the EDIT button and then enter the Summary of the proposal (maximum of 200 words). Click the SAVE button to save it. The Summary from the EOI round has been carried over, in case this is helpful.

Please note that most symbols, such as macrons, and inverted commas, can be copied from a Word document and will appear in the PDF of the proposal. If there are any rogue symbols in the PDF, the solution is to enter the symbols directly from the keyboard into the web text box, rather than pasting them in from a document.

2. Vision Mātauranga themes

This information will be carried over from your EOI, however can be edited if necessary. Please select "Edit", amend the appropriate boxes, and "Save".

3A. Background

This has to be added as an attached document that includes Sections 3A-3E. The template may be obtained from the "Templates" menu option on the left, or from the page, "Proposal ...". Prepare your document (which may include images), and save it in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format. These options are recommended over a PDF.

(If you wish to save it as a PDF from a DOCX file, please adopt this procedure: Click the “Options” button on the “Save As” dialog. Then click “Options” and tick the “ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)” box. This greys out the “Bitmap text…” option. Also untick the “Create bookmarks…” and “Document structure…”.).

Follow the instructions above (Part D – Attaching Documents) for attaching the file. Ensure that you cancel any "Track Changes". The document will remain in whichever format you attached it, but for displaying and printing, the system will convert it to a PDF file. If you decide to update a previously attached document, go through the same process. The new file overwrites the existing one. You can also retrieve an attached document to work on by clicking the appropriate link in the “Get Attachment” column, then, when you are ready, the document can be re-attached. You can also completely remove an attached file by clicking the REMOVE ATTACHMENT button. Don’t forget to click the REFRESH PAGE button until the PDF Ready entry shows “True”.

3B. Overall Aim of the Research

This is part of the template (3A-3E) that starts with the Background.

3C. Proposed Research

This is part of the template (3A-3E) that starts with the Background.

3D. Vision Mātauranga discussion

If one or more themes has been identified in Section 2, please upload a discussion of Vision Mātauranga. This is part of the attached template (2A-2E) that starts with the Background.

3E. References

This is part of the attached template (3A-3E) that starts with the Background.

3F. Timetable

This is a second uploaded document (3F-3H) so that the References appear at the end of the previous uploaded template (which makes it easier to use bibliographic programs such as Endnote).

3G. Roles and Resources

This is part of the attached template (3F-3H) that starts with the Timetable.

3H. Ethical or Regulatory Obligations

This is part of the attached template (3F-3H) that starts with the Timetable.

4. Personnel (FTEs)

These have been carried over from your EOI, but can be changed as you refine your proposal. Apart from PIs and AIs, other personnel such as post-docs, students and technicians can be added or deleted as required.

5. Curriculum Vitae and Publications

The CVs from the preliminary proposal have been carried over. However, changes can be made. Navigate to each person by clicking on their name, then get their existing CV (or template) or attach a revised CV in the same way as above. Note that Part 1 is limited to two pages, and Part 2 to three pages. Remember also to refresh the page until PDF Ready shows “True”. If you are using the CV from the first round, the Section number will be incorrect; this doesn't matter.

6-7. Budget

This is an Excel document that needs to be uploaded from the templates section. It has two worksheets, with the second worksheet automatically providing some values for the first worksheet, so please enter values for the direct costs and sub-contractors on the second page, not on the first page. On the Excel spreadsheet, some formulae are incorporated in the "totals" and "sub-totals" rows. However, these formulae are not write-protected.

8. Other Funding

This section is uploaded as an attached document. The template is available from the "Templates" page in the grey box at the bottom of the left hand menu. Limit 2 pages.

9. Declaration

For 2023, an extra sentence has been added at the full round:  

“As the Principal Investigator, you take full responsibility for the content of the application, including the suitability and validity of cited sources and originality of content”. 

This is the same process as for the EOI stage. This page requires the applicant to tick a box that signs off the declaration.

(Institutions will sign off in a single document that covers all proposals).

10. Status (Fast-Start proposals only)

A template is available from the portal. Please fill this in and talk to your institution coordinator to arrange for sign-off. Once the status form is completed, it should be uploaded to the portal.

Preview/Print Application

As for the EOI round.