Research Funds - frequently asked questions

Please note: these answers are current as of June 2007. Policy changes in the future may mean that the answers could change, so please check current information for each funding round.

Application process
Pre-submission and resubmission
Topics and methods
Timing
Funding
Intellectual property/copyright
Eligibility

Application process

1. Will a late application for funding be accepted?

   Late submissions will only be considered in exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the researchers submitting the proposal, such as an internet outage in a particular geographical area. In such cases, the late proposal will only be accepted at the discretion of the fund management and if the submitted proposals have not yet been distributed.

2. What time of day does the call for proposals end on the closing date?

   Proposals will be accepted if they are received before midnight on the closing date.

3. What is the timeframe from submitting an application to being informed if you have been successful?

   Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be individually contacted with a decision as soon as the selection for funding has been signed off by the Commission's Board. This should be about five weeks after the close of the call for proposals for the Blue Skies and Innovative Practice Funds, and about two months for the Families Commission Research Fund.

4. When will the successful projects from the funding rounds be announced?

   See answer to Q3. The public announcement of the successful projects will be made after the offer to fund a project has been accepted and the contracts are being finalised. This varies but is usually within a month of the decision.

5. Is information available on the types of applications that were successful in previous rounds?

   Information about successful studies in previous rounds is posted on the Commission's website under the 'Research Funding' section. The results of each funding round will be posted as soon as the funds have been awarded.

6. What kind of proposal is required for the Blue Skies/Innovative Practice/Families Commission Research Fund?

   Proposals should be submitted by email as MS Word documents using the template provided in the call for proposals. The templates contain details/advice about the information required in each section.

   If proposals are submitted in PDF format, they must also be submitted in MS Word. We would prefer that Arial or Times New Roman typefaces are used, and that no background images are inserted. Illustrative diagrams etc may be included if necessary.

   Please also see answer to Q7.

7. Are there any length restrictions on funding applications or any sections of the proposals?

   There is a degree of flexibility but information should be concise. Proposals for Blue Skies and Innovative Practice should be no more than four or five pages. Proposals for the Families Commission Research Fund may be longer (approximately seven to eight pages), but should also be kept concise while giving sufficient detail to appraise the proposal.

   In addition, a brief (two page) CV for each researcher is required; please do not submit full academic CVs detailing every publication and presentation. We only need enough detail to assess the ability of the researchers to perform the proposed study.

   If absolutely necessary, sample questionnaires etc may be attached as appendices. However, please do not include unnecessary appendices.

Pre-submission and resubmission

1. For a new funding round can we resubmit our previously submitted but unsuccessful, proposal, either as it stands or revised, or develop a new proposal for a different kind of project? Will having submitted a proposal for a previous call for proposals disqualify us from this round?

   Previous submission will not necessarily disqualify you. If you are resubmitting the same study, then the feedback from the previous round should be considered and addressed before resubmitting the proposal. Also, please check the template for the current call for proposals in case the information we are asking for has changed since the previous round.

   If you have previously submitted the same proposal twice, please be sure that you have addressed the feedback in your latest submission. Proposals will be disqualified after the third unsuccessful attempt.

2. Can you preview a proposal to advise whether it is worth submitting to a fund?

   No, this would be unfair to other applicants. We may answer questions about whether a topic is appropriate for a particular fund, or whether a study has a sufficient 'families' focus to be eligible, but only in the most general terms. Download Guide to Families Commission research funding for more information (PDF 1.06 MB).

3. Would there be a chance to submit a draft proposal for feedback, before final submission?

   No, this would be unfair to other applicants.

Topics and methods

1. Would successful applicants for the Families Commission Research Fund have to conduct research that covered all of the aspects outlined in the brief released by the Commission?

   The funding topics are those announced. The aspects of each topic listed are exemplars of what that topic might include. It is not required nor even expected that a single proposal would address all aspects listed. We also expect that there may be some aspects of a topic worthy of study that are not listed.

2. We are piloting [a new service]. Can we apply for funding of an evaluation?

   The Commission does not fund evaluations alone, although we will fund an evaluation along with the pilot of a service. Download Guide to Families Commission research funding for more information (PDF 1.06 MB)

3. I have almost completed a book/thesis on [topic] and I am looking for funding to publish it/set up a website. Would this be eligible for your research funds?

   Our research funding is for research. If the book or thesis is soundly-based research on a topic that aligns with our goals, then we may fund the development of a report summarising the research, findings and implications which we would then publish.

4. Which fund should I apply for [usually preceded by description of project]?

   Our three funds have slightly different purposes. Blue Skies is intended for smaller, relatively short-term pieces of work around families, not necessarily with any direct application in mind. Innovative Practice is intended for research about practice with families – either practice-based research (that is, research conducted in the context of the researchers' day-to-day practice) or research that has potential to lead to innovative changes in practice with families. The Families Commission Research Fund is different in that specific topics for each funding round are announced, although proposals for studies on other topics may be considered if they have particular merit. Download Guide to Families Commission research funding for more information (PDF 1.06 MB).

5. Does the Commission have a preference for particular approaches or methodologies?

   The Commission requires that all funded research be of a high quality. This means that any proposed research should use rigorous methods appropriate to the question being addressed. Similarly, all proposed studies should:

   • use an approach that is appropriate to the question
   • be ethically and methodologically sound
   • minimise potential bias and confounds, including showing an awareness of underlying assumptions.

   All proposed studies should have a clear family focus.

    

Timing

1. Could a Families Commission Research Fund be granted this year with work beginning on the actual project in 2008?

   If there is reasonable justification for a delay in start date of a proposed study, the selection panel will consider it. That alone will not disqualify a study. However, it is only fair to say that it could potentially be a disadvantage when relative merits of proposals for funding are compared.

Funding

1. Ongoing funding: if a study receives funding for year one, is there ongoing funding available to the same level for years two and three? Or would I have to re-apply each year?

   Studies are funded to the maximum allowed for each fund for the entire duration of the study. If a study is staged, it is possible that funding would be granted for only the first or early stages, if these could constitute a stand-alone study, with subsequent funding either being dependent on the results of the funded stages, or a separate application for funding being required.

   Studies are currently limited to a maximum of two years' duration under the Innovative Practice and the Families Commission Research Funds, and shorter periods (usually a maximum of one year) for Blue Skies. Download Guide to Families Commission research funding for more information (PDF 1.06 MB).

2. Is GST chargeable/payable on the Commission's research grants?

   Yes, if the person with whom we contract is GST-registered. The funds granted are for the net amount – that is, GST will be paid on top.

3. Would it be possible to combine a Families Commission Research Fund grant with research funds sourced from other providers?

   Yes, this is possible, subject to a case-by-case appraisal, where the funding in total from all sources is explicitly linked to particular aspects of the research, so that it is clear there is no 'double-dipping'. We may be able to part-fund projects that we would not be able to fund in full. However, that depends on the other source of funding and the implications for compliance with our funding requirements, each of which can only be considered in the particular.

4. Does the Commission fund subsistence, eg accommodation for a writing-up period?

   Not directly, no – it wouldn't be if it were spelled out in a proposal in those terms. Funding studies is supposed to make the time available for the study, so the researcher's time would be chargeable (at a reasonable rate) along with reasonable/justifiable overheads.

5. To what extent does the Commission allow for honoraria or scholarships for post-graduates? Is this possible or should post-graduates be listed and budgeted for as research assistants? If so, is there a standard rate?

   The Commission's research funds do not fund scholarships or degrees. If students are being proposed for roles in the research study, they should be listed as research assistants, and an appropriate rate or fee allocated for their work. There is not yet a standard rate; however we would expect any charged rate to be consistent with those developed by universities.

6. Does the Commission pay the overheads charged by universities?

   Yes, we do pay these charges, but with the same limit to the fund. Some universities only charge the overheads for commissioned research – that is, where the researcher has been selected for a particular project because of their expertise – and do not charge or waive the overheads for their researchers applying for contestable grants of this nature. Obviously, having to factor in the overheads charges may place the researcher at a disadvantage in a contestable funding programme. The researchers may need to negotiate with the research offices to sort this out.

Intellectual property/copyright

1. Will the finished work be available for publication by the researchers elsewhere, including international journals?

   The copyright in the finished report is the property of the Commission, which retains first publication rights. However, we encourage researchers to publish their work elsewhere, including journal articles drawing on the study. We retain the right to sight the draft article and have an opportunity to comment and approve it, and we ask that our funding of the study is appropriately acknowledged.

2. Can external staff be contracted in to do particular parts of the project?

   Contracting of external staff for particular roles in a research project is acceptable. There is an obvious need for the contracted staff to have specific expertise for the task for which they are contracted. Where there is an intention to contract external staff who have not yet been appointed to major roles, brief role indicators and expected competencies will be adequate, but the funding contract may require our approval of the preferred candidate for that role.

Eligibility

1. Would the Commission consider a comparison study focused on Australia and New Zealand?

   Yes, provided the research is capable of making a difference to New Zealand families.

2. Would the Commission consider a proposal from an overseas researcher?

   Yes, provided the research is capable of making a difference to New Zealand families. This would need to be clearly explained.

3. Will the Commission consider proposals from government organisations or government-funded organisations such as services within a DHB?

   No. The Commission is a Crown entity, and as such is not allowed to fund other government organisations. We have, however, funded research being done within government organisations when the research is being done by an independent organisation.

4. Would you consider an application for a summer studentship-type project? It would involve a set payment of $5,000 to the student for completion of a 10-week research project.

   Yes, on the same basis as any other project. The set payment would need to be identified as payment to the student in their role on the proposed project.

5. Would you fund the development of a proposal for a large project?

   If the development of the proposal involved some piloting or preliminary research that could work as a stand-alone project and have value on its own merits, we may consider funding it. If the only outcome was a proposal for a larger sum, it is unlikely.

6. We [an NGO] are considering a Blue Skies proposal at the moment together with a department of our university. Will this affect our chances of applying for an Innovative Practice research grant next year?

   If an applicant has a currently active study under the same research fund, they will not be considered for another grant from that fund until the active project has been completed. However, if one proposal was from the university working in collaboration with an NGO, and the second was from the NGO working independently (so that the proposals are in effect from two separate bodies) the proposal would be considered.