Frequently asked questions

What are the main changes for 2025?

o    New Terms of Reference have been established for the Fund.

• Two new assessment criteria added around benefit and rationale.
  • All proposals must demonstrate how their research could be
    of economic, environmental or health benefit to New Zealand
  • Proposals should demonstrate a clear rationale for this research being undertaken in New Zealand
• Approximately 50% of funding will go towards supporting proposals
  which have the potential to result in economic benefits to New Zealand
• The Social Sciences and Humanities panels have been disestablished.
• Scholarly impact has been changed to quantifiable impact.

o  These changes have led to some alterations in the proposal structure

• New section on “benefit” added, with:
  • Tick boxes indicating potential benefit categories (economic, environmental, health)
  • a 400-word statement to articulate a “Benefit and rationale for the research in New Zealand”.

o    EOI summary changed to 200 words

o    Narrative CV trial expanded to include all applicants across all grant categories

o    Both CV templates updated with minor changes

o    VM guidance updated

• % shares of VM themes will not be visible

o    SEOs, % shares and keywords will be visible in the proposal

o    References to Covid-19 removed

 FAQs around the changes

Q: What constitutes a ‘Marsden Fund’ research question?

A: According to the Marsden Fund Terms of Reference:

• The Marsden Fund encourages New Zealand’s leading researchers to explore new ideas that may not be funded through other funding streams and fosters creativity and innovation within the science innovation and technology system. Exploring new ideas results in greater potential to develop of new technologies, products, boost economic growth, and enhance New Zealand’s quality of life.
• The Marsden Fund invests in excellent, investigator-led research aimed at generating new knowledge, with the potential for long-term economic, environmental or health benefit to New Zealand. It supports excellent research projects that advance and expand the knowledge base and contributes to the development of people with advanced skills in New Zealand.

Q: Is it true that Marsden is now 50% economic impact and 50% blue skies (discovery-led research)?

A: No. The Fund will retain a strong focus on discovery-led research excellence across all funded proposals. Excellent research has the potential to lead to many benefits, including economic impacts. All Marsden proposals must demonstrate research excellence and identify at least one potential impact (economic, environmental, health). At the level of the Fund, all funded proposals will demonstrate research excellence and at least 50% of these will align with the potential for economic impacts.

Q: Will the size of the Fund reduce in 2025?

A: The recent changes are updating the Terms of Reference and the Investment Plan. Any funding level changes would follow the regular May 2025 budget process.

Q: Can in-text references be provided in the Benefit statement (section 3D)?

A: Yes, they can. These should go in the 400-word “benefits” text box 3D.

Note that references here aren’t necessarily required, as the criterion is around the potential for impact so could be expected to outline future possibilities.

Q: How will the Research (section 3A) and Benefit (sections 3C/D) sections be weighted during the EOI assessment process?

A: There is no formal weighting– the assessment will be holistic and take all criteria into account.

Q: Do you have a target for environmental and / or health benefits? Similar to the 50% target for economic benefits?

A: No – the only target specified is economic 50%.

Q: Is it possible to not tick any boxes for the benefit section?

A: No – there is no N/A or “other” option. All applicants will need to choose one or more potential benefits (a new requirement).

Q: Do you have any more guidance on how to address the benefits section, particularly around economic benefit? Are Marsden expecting a ‘business case’ or future economic financial predictions?

A: We are not expecting a business case (there are only 400 words in the benefit statement). It is more about the potential future benefits.

Q: The guidelines highlight "All proposals must demonstrate how their research could be of economic, environmental or health benefit to New Zealand”.  In the “core sciences” there are several areas that are not readily associated with direct impacts. Will these areas still be in scope? 

A: All research areas defined within the panel descriptors are considered to be in scope. These research areas will still need to show a potential for benefit. This may be very far in the future.

Q: Will the panel descriptors be changed to capture fields of research that have very important economic, environmental, and wellbeing value but have been cut as they were covered by social sciences and humanities?

A: There are no changes to panel descriptors for 2025.

Q: Will applicants be asked to justify their SEO codes?

A: No. The codes will be used for NZRIS reporting (as in the last few years) and will be used for mapping what kinds of areas Marsden proposals / successful contracts are coming from. Although visible on the application, they won’t be part of the assessment (similar to the FOR codes and keywords).

Q: Will there be guidance about what SEO codes are considered economic?

A: Not at this stage. Panellists will focus more on the benefits section (tick boxes and statement). Note that any proposal that ticks the “economic” box in the benefits section will be counted as potential economic benefit.

Q: What will full proposals look like?

A: We expect that full proposal guidelines will be published in May. We expect that the full proposal will be similar to previous years, with the addition of 1 page to describe the potential benefits / impacts (similar to the EOI), and a public title and public summary in addition to the research title and research summary.

Q: For the standard CV, can you delete sections that do not apply, like the narrative CV?

A: No. The standard CV is more of a form that’s filled in – best thing to do is to leave all sections in and just write N/A if a particular section doesn’t apply. In contrast, the narrative CV is designed to be a narrative, and includes different sections to choose from – hence there is no need to have everything in if it doesn’t apply.

From earlier FAQs

Q: Are there any visa regulations?

A: We don't have visa requirements within the Marsden Fund guidelines, but we do have the requirement that you are employed at a New Zealand-based organisation for the duration of the grant. It is the responsibility of the host organisation to ensure that you are able to be employed in New Zealand for the duration of the grant. That may require some visa requirements for those coming into the country. We are not able to provide any Immigration New Zealand advice.

Q: Do I need to have graduated with my PhD by the EOI deadline to apply for a Fast-Start?

A: No. The EOI Guidelines state:” Recent graduates must have completed all requirements for conferment of their PhD by the EOI closing date in February”. If you have not had a chance to graduate, this would mean the receipt of a letter from your organisation confirming that you have completed all requirements for a PhD degree.

Q: How do you apply for a Marsden PhD scholarship?

A: Marsden does not fund standalone PhD scholarships – rather, they are included in a funded project, so it isn’t possible to apply directly to Marsden for one.

We suggest looking at current funded projects and keeping your eyes peeled for Marsden PhD scholarship opportunities advertised - usually, the contact investigator will recruit potential students and publicise opportunities.

Q: Is the 0.05 FTE minimum requirement for all three years of the project or just a single year (ie, does an AI have to be listed with at least 0.05 FTE for all three years OR can they be listed with at least 0.05 FTE for just one year)?

A: The 0.05 FTE requirement for AIs does not have to apply across all three years – e.g. if particular skills are only required for part of the project, they can be listed as 0.05 FTE for the particular year(s) and zero for the remainder.

Q: Do we need to have preliminary results to apply for a Marsden Fund grant?

A: No; however, it is a good idea to have preliminary results if you can. This will help convince the panel members that your brilliant idea is feasible.

Q: How detailed does the methodology need to be at the EOI stage?

A: Allowing for the fact that you will only have one page, we advise you to make sure to be informative and to reference your methods. This needs to balanced together with the proposed research.

Q: Can I use tools such as ChatGPT to help write my proposal?

A: Yes, you can - but exercise caution. The use of generative AI tools such as  presents an opportunity to assist researchers, but this may raise issues around authorship and intellectual property including copyright. Content produced by generative AI may be based on the intellectual property of others or may also be factually incorrect. It may also provide biased content. Therefore if you do use generative AI tools to help craft your proposal, ensure you thoroughly check the output.

Note that all applicants will be required to sign a proposal declaration on the portal to confirm that they take full responsibility for the content of the proposal, the suitability and validity of cited sources and originality of content, and to confirm that that proposal does not contain false or misleading information.

Q: Is it possible to switch between a Fast-Start and a Standard type of application between rounds?

A: No

Q: How do I know which panel to apply to?

A: We recommend that if you are unsure of which panel to apply to that you seek advice, for instance from your research office or colleagues. You may also want to consider which journals you plan to publish in, and what fields those are in, or which fields your research seeks to advance. You can also view who is on each panel and get an idea of the expertise each panel covers on our Marsden Fund panels page.

Q on interdisciplinary research: 1) How do I choose the right panel for interdisciplinary research? 2) Can the panels cross-reference proposals to other panels in the case of cross-disciplinary research? 

A: 1) It’s a good idea to consider where the novel question of your proposal comes from. A way to think about this might be to ask yourself which journals the research will be published in. Another consideration might be the makeup of the panels, i.e. if there is expertise which you feel covers some aspects of the disciplines, that may influence your decision.  

2a) The option is available for convenors to suggest to an applicant that they move their proposal to a different panel, however the applicant makes the final call on this.

2b) If a panel feels they do not have the expertise to assess a particular proposal, that panel can ask for input from a different panel.

Q: Can you apply for a Marsden Fund Fast-Start grant if you are on a fixed-term contract? (i.e., you are on a three-year, fixed-term contract?)

A: Talk to your line manager or Head of Department. If awarded, your organisation must support you for the duration of the Marsden Fund Fast-Start grant. 

Q: How should I build my CV for the Marsden Fund?

A: Try to build a narrative around your research and expertise i.e. what makes you the best person to conduct the proposed research.

Consider the full diversity of research impacts including: professional distinctions and memberships, publications, presentations, reports, community relationships and outreach, wānanga, conference organisation, patents, policy contributions, collaborations, mentorship roles, public/media engagement, industry contributions, exhibitions, software and analysis tools etc…

Your CV will be judged relative to opportunity, with career achievements assessed in the context of career history, allowing for breaks for family or other responsibilities. Any career breaks should be listed in your CV.

Remember that you also have the option of submitting a narrative CV.

Q: Do panels consider an applicant's record of previous grant applications?

A: The panel only have access to what is explicitly stated in your application. If you want to highlight past success in this area please include this.

Q: Does my track record need to be in a similar topic to my proposed research? Or could my proposed research be in a new area?

A: If your proposed research is moving into a new area for you, it is important to consider the team you have assembled around you. You need to convince the Panel that your proposed research is feasible. It is also worth considering how your previous research area has prepared you to enter this new area.

Q: Can I exclude any panellists from reviewing my proposal?

A: It is not possible to exclude anyone in the panel from reviewing your proposal. 

Marsden Fund Panel members are active researchers with an excellent background in research. As these researchers will invariably have connections with some applicants, conflicts of interest will arise.  Royal Society Te Apārangi takes the issue of conflict of interest very seriously.  The rules surrounding conflicts of interest for panellists can be found in the Guidelines for Council and panel members.

Q: My EOI has been successful. How will the external referees be chosen for my full proposal?

A: Panellists work with the Marsden Fund staff to suggest experts in the field. Marsden Fund staff will screen referee suggestions for any conflicts of interest with the applicants, and will send requests to potential referees. The research title, research summary, and keywords from your EOI will be used in referee requests.