Marsden grant
Marsden grants are the main form of contestable funding for fundamental, 'blue skies' research in New Zealand. Grants are made in all areas of research, in both science and the humanities. The grants are made from the Marsden Fund, which was established by the New Zealand Government in 1994. The Fund is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand. Most of the grants go to researchers at New Zealand universities, but some go to researchers at Crown Research Institutes and elsewhere.[1][2][3]
The first Marsden grants were awarded in 1995, when NZ$10.2 million (excluding GST) was shared between 51 successful projects. In 2001, the Fast Start category was introduced specifically for Early Career Researchers (within 7 years of completing their PhD). By 2018, the size of the Marsden Fund had grown to NZ$85.6 million and 136 grants were made.[4] These included 53 Fast Start grants and 83 Standard grants.[4] The 2018 round also introduced a new category of grant, the Marsden Fund Council Award.[5] These larger grants are focused on interdisciplinary research; however, there were no successful applications in the initial round.
The Marsden granting process is highly competitive, with over 1,000 applications per year and success rates that often hover around 10%. Proposals are assessed primarily on the potential of the research to contribute to the advancement of knowledge.[6] In the 2018 funding round, the success rate was 11.2% for Standard grants and 14.8% for Fast Start grants.[4] Because of this intense competition, winning a Marsden grant is regarded as a hallmark of research excellence in New Zealand.[1]
The grants are named after English-New Zealand physicist Ernest Marsden (1889–1970).[1]
Budget Allocations
Year | Funding, Millions NZD |
---|---|
2020 | 79[7] |
2019 | 79[8] |
2018 | 71[9] |
2017 | 64 |
2016 | 58 |
2015 | 54 |
2014 | 52 |
2013 | 52 |
2012 | 47 |
2011 | 47 |
2010 | 47 |
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Royal Society Te Apārangi – Background to the Marsden Fund". royalsociety.org.nz.
- ^ https://royalsociety.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Marsden-Fund-Investment-Plan.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^ @Jamienzherald, Jamie Morton Science Reporter, NZ Herald jamie morton@nzherald co nz (1 October 2015). "Marsden Fund comes under the microscope" – via www.nzherald.co.nz.
- ^ a b c "Royal Society Te Apārangi - New Marsden Fund grants support innovative research in Aotearoa from atoms to Antarctica's microbes". royalsociety.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Royal Society Te Apārangi - 2019 Marsden Fund Council Award guidelines for applicants". royalsociety.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Royal Society Te Apārangi - Terms of Reference for the Marsden Fund". royalsociety.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ https://treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2019-05/est19-v1-buscin.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^ https://treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2018-05/est18-v1-buscin.pdf[bare URL PDF]