Research impact in funding applications

When you apply for funding, you’re not just describing your research, you’re making a persuasive case for why it matters. A funding application is written for a broad audience, often beyond your immediate field, so it’s essential to communicate why your research is valuable, relevant, and likely to make a difference.

Before you start writing, think about:

• What is the purpose of your proposal? What are you trying to achieve, and why now?
• Who is the audience? Who will review your application, and what will persuade them of your research’s significance and potential impact
• What evidence could you include to strengthen any potential impact claims?

Many major funders in Aotearoa New Zealand now place a strong emphasis on the potential impact of research and on the credibility of your plan to achieve it. Having a realistic and detailed impact plan strengthens your proposal and can significantly improve your chances of success.

Read about what Royal Society Te Apārangi, the Health Research Council, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment look for in their research impact sections and how to approach writing these.

The Royal Society Te Apārangi’s Marsden Fund primarily supports blue-sky research that expands the boundaries of knowledge. While the focus has always been on excellence and curiosity-driven inquiry, the fund now asks researchers to consider the potential benefits and long-term impacts of their work, particularly the economic benefits.

This is an opportunity to articulate the broader value of your research, for example, how it could inspire future work, influence thinking, or lead to indirect social, environmental, or economic benefits over time.

Go to the Marsden Fund.

Marsden 2026 kick-off session - Benefit section

This presentation walks through the 2025 updates to criteria for the benefit section of the Marsden Fund application.

View the presentation.

The HRC has a range of funding opportunities and a clear focus on delivering impact. They expect researchers to demonstrate how their work can lead to tangible health and societal benefits, and communicate a clear step-by-step plan to achieving impact through stakeholder engagement and thoughtful planning.

Having a clear line of sight to impact by identifying the mechanisms, partnerships, and levers for uptake and use of your research outputs is an important inclusion in HRC applications.

Go to HRC funding opportunities.

Planning your HRC proposal for Research Impact 2025

High-level step-by-step guide on how to incorporate impact into your research planning for HRC applications.

View the presentation.

Health Research Council – Research Impact Guidance for Applicants

Guidelines on how HRC interprets and assesses research impact, with useful tips on how to build a pathway to impact.

View the slideshow.

The MBIE Endeavour Fund has two main grants - Research Programmes and Smart Ideas - both of which require a well-articulated potential impact for Aotearoa New Zealand and a robust and resourced impact plan that demonstrates a clear line of sight to impact.

Go to the Endeavour Fund.

2026 postponement

Both programmes have been postponed for the 2026 round and will not be inviting new applications.

MBIE Endeavour Research Impact Workshop 2024

An in-person workshop introducing the MBIE Endeavour Fund, guiding participants through two activities, planning for research impact and using the results-chain framework to link research to impact.

View the presentation.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – The Impact of Research

MBIE 2019 position paper on research impact. It presents an impact measurement framework, establishing principles, definitions and measurement approaches to progress the research impact agenda in New Zealand.

Read the position paper.

You can get 1:1 support for the impact section of your application by contacting the Research Impact Team.
Email: researchimpact@auckland.ac.nz