Applying for Open Pathway Funding

The Open Pathway is for educational researchers seeking funding who do not meet our Whatua Tū Aka criteria or Pacific criteria for funding.

Application forms for the Open pathway are available in the sidebar.

In 2024, the TLRI fund has prioritised funding for the following proposals:

• Research on topics of strategic importance within the early childhood education (ECE), primary and/or secondary school sectors.
• Research that focuses on success for Māori learners as Māori in any sector.
• Research that focuses on success for Pacific learners as Pacific in any sector.

Please note that Expressions Of Interest (EOI) and Full Proposals are now closed for 2024, with announcement of recipients expected in December 2024. Applications will reopen in early 2025.

You can find recent examples of Open pathway research funded through the TLRI at the bottom of this page.

Open pathway application process

For the Open pathway there is a two-stage process for submitting proposals. Stage 1 is an Expression of Interest proposal and Stage 2 is a Full Proposal. Selection panel feedback is provided to applicants at both stages.

Within the Open pathway, Expressions of Interest will be used to establish a shortlist of applicants who will be invited to submit Full Proposals to the Open pathway. These proposals will typically be due in August each year. This differs from the Whatua Tū Aka process, where applicants can choose between a one OR two stage process for submitting proposals.

Expression of Interest stage

Expression of Interest proposals are typically requested for both pathways in Term 1, with a closing date generally in May (will be made clear when a call for Expressions of Interest goes out). Applicants will receive an email acknowledging that their proposal has been received.

Templates are provided by the TLRI for this stage – Open pathway applications that do not use the relevant template will not be considered. The page limit for each section is stated on the templates. Any information exceeding the page limit will not be considered by the selection panel. Within the Open pathway EOI template there are three sections to complete:

• Cover page
• Description of proposed project and its context: strategic and practice value
• Research design, partnership, and project team: research value.

There is no limit on the number of Expression of Interest proposals that can be submitted by individuals or organisations. However, at any one time a person can be named as principal investigator for only one funded TLRI project unless otherwise negotiated with the TLRI team.

Successfully shortlisted candidates from the Expression of Interest stage are then invited to submit a Full Proposal. At this stage, applicants must demonstrate that there is a partnership agreement in place between researchers and practitioners.

Full Proposals must be completed using the relevant template for the TLRI Open pathway, which is provided each year. Applications not using the relevant template will not be considered.

The page limit for each section is stated on the template, and any information exceeding the page limit will not be considered by the selection panel. There are five sections to complete:

• A cover page which includes the project budget and timeline
• Description of proposed project and its context: strategic and practice value
• Research design: research value
• Partnership, and project team: research value
• An appendix with project-team biographies, and partnership agreements

An individual can submit applications for any of our funding streams: the Open pathway; Whatua Tū Aka; and Pacific research. However, these would be different proposals and should each meet different criteria.

Ngā paearu huarahi Tuwhera│Open pathway criteria

Te hua rautaki me te hua ritenga │Strategic and practice value

These criteria assess the extent to which the proposal:

• addresses an area of strategic importance to education in New Zealand.
• provides a clear rationale for the project including links to relevant New Zealand and international research.
• has the potential to inform teacher practice, have a positive impact on learning, and lead to improvements in outcomes for learners.
• poses a research question(s) that will increase knowledge and is (are) appropriate for the proposed scope and design of the project.

Te hua rangahau │Research value

These criteria assess the extent to which the proposal has:

• a research design, data collection methods and approach to analysis that will address the research question(s) and enable substantive and robust findings.
• a partnership in place that has a clear rationale and is consistent with the intent of the TLRI.
• a project team that is led by a principal investigator(s) with relevant experience in leading similar research projects and includes members with appropriate research and practice experience.

Strategic Value

The projects must align with current and future priorities for teaching
and learning within and across the early childhood, school, and tertiary
sectors.  Of special interest is a focus on deepening our
understanding about how we might address current inequities in educational
outcomes and on creating the teaching and learning processes that will
support success for all types of learners in the 21st century.

The proposed research needs to:

• Consolidate and build knowledge. The questions must align with the
  most vital research areas in each of the education sectors. Proposals
  should acknowledge existing knowledge on teaching and learning and
  research paradigms and methodologies, and demonstrate how the research
  can build on the knowledge base.
• Identify and address gaps in our knowledge. Questions need to be posed
  that will increase our knowledge and understanding about key educational
  issues within New Zealand. Proposals need to show how new knowledge
  about teaching and learning would be created to complement, and address
  gaps in, existing knowledge.

The proposed research may also be forward looking and innovative.
It may focus on the development of new constructs and concepts in teaching
and learning and on new research paradigms and/or methodologies. It may
also focus on innovative policy and practice.

Research value

The projects must be designed in ways that contribute to the TLRI aims of building knowledge and developing research capability in the area of
teaching and learning. The projects also need to be designed as
partnerships where the collective knowledge of researchers and
practitioners is applied to problems in practice.
The proposed research needs to:

• Pose a research question (or questions) that advances learning in the
  field and contributes to what is already known.
• Clearly describe data collection methods which follow a logical line
  from the questions themselves.
• Create a data analysis plan that gives an idea of how the data will be
  managed and analysed and how these data will then answer the research
  question(s).
• Detail the quality-assurance processes.
• Show consideration of the context of practice in which the research
  will be conducted and give careful thought to the relationships and
  roles within the project team and issues such as knowledge, ownership,
  power, and decision making.
• Involve a team of researchers and practitioners that is led either by
  an experienced researcher or an experienced practitioner. If the latter,
  the team needs an experienced researcher acting as an adviser.
• Provide opportunities for developing the expertise of less experienced
  researchers.

Practice value

The projects need to contribute to improving practice and outcomes for
learners. Projects must give priority to dissemination strategies that
maximise opportunities for critique and dialogue with the teacher and
researcher communities, and that demonstrate their practical application,
especially with regard to their potential to impact on learning.

The proposed research needs to show the:

• Likely impact on practice. It should demonstrate how
  the research might inform current and future practice. This could occur
  as part of the research process itself as well as through dissemination
  and application of the findings. Dissemination strategies need to be
  designed to share findings with the community of interest and engage
  practitioners with research-informed practices that are known to have a
  positive influence on learning.
• Impact on learning. The proposal must
  demonstrate potential for practical application and indicate how it
  could lead to improvements in outcomes for learners.