International Development Research Fund | IDRF
Application guidelines
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The 2010 round of the International Development Research Fund (IDRF) is open. Application guidelines are below.
The deadline for applications is 1pm Friday 14 May 2010.
2010 Application Criteria
The fund is open to New Zealand based researchers to carry out research in partnership with researchers from developing countries. Research supported by the fund will focus on advancing development policy, practice and outcomes in developing countries, and is likely to be of relevance and interest to both the New Zealand development community and the region, country or development sector that is the focus of the research.
There is one application round a year, with the maximum limit for any single proposal being $50,000. Multi-year research projects of up to three years' duration are encouraged; however, total funding for multi-year projects remains limited to $50,000 for the entire project.
The IDRF funded component of research projects must be scheduled to start after July 2010 and prior to March 2011.
Note, however, the starting date of the project need not be the date of commencement of major research activities (such as field research) and that these can commence after December if need be. IDRF funding can not be used to retrospectively fund costs incurred prior to August 2010.
The Guidelines below set out the IDRF's: goal and objectives; eligibility criteria; selection criteria; eligible costs; selection process; and format for applications.
Please click here to download the application pack.
All correspondence and queries should be addressed to:
Penny Hawkins,
Team Leader,
Evaluation Team,
Strategy, Advisory and Evaluation Group (SAEG)
NZAID Programme
Ministry fo Foreign Affairs and Trade
195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18-901
Wellington 6001
New Zealand
Tel | +64 4 439 8149
Email | penny.hawkins@nzaid.govt.nz
Please note | Before you contact us with questions you are urged to check the Frequently Asked Questions page for the IDRF. Please do not direct scholarships questions or queries to Penny. I f you have any questions about NZAID scholarships they must be sent to: scholarships@nzaid.govt.nz.
Goal
To enhance development policy and practice through encouraging and supporting quality international development research in developing regions and countries and sectors that align with New Zealand ODA priority areas.
Specific Objectives
To encourage and support:
1. The undertaking of quality international development research aligned with sectoral and/or thematic interests of NZ ODA.
2. Collaborative research between international development research communities in New Zealand and in developing countries.
This year the NZAID programme is particularly encouraging proposals detailing research which focuses on sustainable economic development (other proposals will also still be considered).
Eligibility Criteria
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The IDRF funded component of research projects must be scheduled to start after July 2010 and prior to March 2011. Note, however, the starting date of the project need not be the date of commencement of major research activities (such as field research). IDRF funding can not be used to retrospectively fund costs incurred prior to August 2010.
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The geographic focus of the research is a country on the 2009 OECD DAC list of ODA recipient countries (you can access this list at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/40/43540882.pdf ) or regional research on a region containing DAC list countries. In the case of regional research this research must be of relevance to the DAC list countries within the region chosen.
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The specific focus of the proposed research has clear relevance to the promotion of sustainable development in developing countries. In practice this means that the research should have a direct link to promoting economic, social or human development and/or reducing poverty in developing countries; or to promoting the environmental and/or social sustainability of such development. Science research is eligible under the fund, but it will only be considered for funding if the proposal draws clear and explicit links between the research and development outcomes.
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The research team members are primarily qualified and professional development researchers. Student postgraduate research may only form, at most, a minor component of the proposed research.
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Core research team members must be researchers from universities and/or research organisations, and/or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with demonstrated research capabilities. Research organisations and NGOs must provide evidence of their research capabilities in the application.
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The research team includes at least one researcher based at a New Zealand university, research organisation or NGO, and who is intending to remain based at this organisation for the duration of the research. The New Zealand based researcher must play a significant role in the research project.
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The research team includes at least one citizen or permanent resident from the region in which the research is focussed, and who is also based at a university, research organisation or NGO in the respective region.
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The research proposed is clearly research as opposed to other development work such as scoping studies, project evaluations and the like.
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The proposal contains a detailed description of the ethical approval process that the proposal research will go through. Please note that while researchers need not have obtained ethics approval at the time of submitting the proposal, award funding will not be released until written evidence of ethics approval has been provided. Please also note that ethics approval must be sufficient and rigorous. In practice this means that ethics approval will either be:
· From a New Zealand based university.
· From an overseas university (paying particular attention to clearly documenting the ethics approval process that will be undertaken).
· Obtained through a recognised research authority (such as the Health Research Ethics Committee).
· Obtained through an organisation that has a well recognised, auditable and well-established ethics approval process for its own research. A full description of this process and the organisation's track record using this process must be provided.
Because of the potential risks for research subjects, ethics approval is something that the award assessment panel will be examining closely. If you have any questions about ethics approval processes you are encouraged to direct them with us in advance of submitting your proposal. -
Written evidence of the acceptance of the proposed research by the relevant counterpart/authorities of the country(ies) that the applicant proposes to visit, if required by that country(ies). The responsibility for obtaining such approval will rest entirely with the researchers involved.
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Applications follow the guidelines set out in the Format for Applications and include all required documentation.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria will be used to assess eligible applications:
- The quality of the research proposal, with particular emphasis placed on research methodology and the elaboration of the key research problem/questions. Methodologies ought to be clearly explained and justified. The research focus and research questions ought to be well contextualised in existing literature/theory.
Please note all proposals need to be accurate and carefully checked through. Proposals with errors (such as budget errors) or which have not followed instructions in this document may be scored down. As described above a clearly elaborated ethics approval for the research process must also be detailed. - The potential of the research output to enhance development policy and/or practice, particularly in terms of its impact.
- The potential of the research to contribute to development knowledge.
- The development research track record of individual team members and the whole team.
- The inclusion of a researcher(s) at an early stage in their research careers.
Eligible Costs
The following costs can be covered by the Awards:
- International and domestic economy airfares.
- Car rental and fuel.
- Long distance train and bus fares.
- Accommodation and meal allowances for travel within New Zealand . These will only be paid when researchers are travelling overnight outside their city of residence. The following meal allowances may be provided per day (Breakfast $20, Lunch $15, Dinner $35). Only reasonable accommodation costs will be covered.
- Per diems for travel outside of New Zealand . These will only be paid when researchers are travelling overnight outside their city of residence. Per diems include accommodation and may be up to the maximum for the location in question specified in the NZAID programme 's schedule of per diems for contractors. These can be accessed from the NZAID programme 's website at: http://www.nzaid.govt.nz/contracts/per-diems/. Please be aware that per diem rates are updated quarterly.
- Research visas.
- Travel insurance.
- Research assistants.
- Interpreters/translators.
- Some research equipment may be covered so long as it is essential to the research and not a significant asset with use extending beyond the period of the IDRF research. For example, disposable medical testing equipment may be covered; computers would not. If you have any questions about this please raise them with us in advance of submitting your application.
- Overheads and administration costs up to 8% will be considered; however to meet the NZAID programme's contracting guidelines the actual costs themselves must be accurately specified as opposed to being included under a general admin line. (i.e. “University administrative staff 30hrs @ $25/hr = $750” rather than “Admin $750).
The following costs will not be covered:
- Researchers' professional time
- equipment with major ongoing utility beyond the IDRF funded research activity (such as cars, computers, property etc)
- conference, seminar or workshop attendance
- costs already funded from other awards or grants.
Selection Process
- Three hard copies and one emailed copy of applications must be received no later than
1pm Friday 14 May 2010 by:
Penny Hawkins,
Team Leader,
Evaluation Team,
Strategy, Advisory and Evaluation Group (SAEG)
NZAID Programme
Ministry fo Foreign Affairs and Trade
Private Bag 18-901
Wellington 5045
New Zealand
Email | nzaidresearch@mfat.govt.nz
Late applications will not be considered.
- Eligible applications will be considered by a selection panel comprising appropriate representatives of development research and practitioner communities, including academics, Ministry staff and international development NGOs.
- The final decision rests with the Ministry and applicants will be notified of the outcome by Friday 18 June 2010
- All successful candidates will be notified of the specific process and conditions pertaining to payment of the fund.
