The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) have established this funding initiative to address the global threat of COVID-19 and to support the development of collaborative research relationships between the two countries.

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the HRC and NSFC (‘the funding partners’) are seeking to fund high-quality collaborative research that advances knowledge and technologies to prevent, diagnose, and manage COVID-19, building on the combined strengths of research groups in New Zealand and China.

Each of the funding partners will provide matched funding to the research partners in their own country. HRC has a fund of $1,000,000 (exclusive of GST) available for allocation to New Zealand-based researchers.

Funding partners invite applications for funding of up to $350,000 (fully-costed, exclusive of GST), noting that the total available funding pool is $1M, and with durations of up to 2 years for a research project.

This RFP applies only to the New Zealand application process; Chinese researchers must consult with NSFC regarding their own separate application requirements and process.

It is anticipated that funding for three projects will be available for a mid-2021 start date. The HRC's strong focus on peer review and contestability will ensure successful applicants deliver the highest quality research outcomes.

Eligibility criteria

If you are the first-named investigator (i.e. lead researcher) on an application, you must be based in New Zealand and employed with a New Zealand host organisation.

For more information about our contract requirements, please read the HRC Rules document under 'Helpful links'.

Application process

If you’re applying for funding through this partnership, you’ll need to submit a registration via HRC Gateway. You’ll then need to complete a full application using the 2020 NZ and China (NSFC) COVID-19 Collaboration Fund Application Form. You will also need to complete the 2020 NZ and China (NSFC) COVID-19 Collaboration Fund Budget Form. Full applications are submitted via HRC Gateway.

Got a question?

If you have read through the documents below and the ‘How to apply for HRC funding’ section under ‘Helpful links’ and still have a question about the 2020 NZ and China (NSFC) COVID-19 Collaboration Fund RFP, please email Fiona Kenning, Research Investment Manager – International.

Documents

Request for proposals

2020 NZ and China (NSFC) COVID-19 Collaboration Fund RFP
15 Sep, 2020 4:50pm - 300KB

Guidelines

2020 NZ and China (NSFC) COVID-19 Collaboration Fund Application Guidelines
15 Sep, 2020 4:48pm - 406KB

2020 NZ and China (NSFC) COVID-19 Collaboration Fund Assessment Criteria
15 Sep, 2020 4:49pm - 85KB