Welcome to the BioHeritage National Science Challenge! We’re one of 11 National Science Challenges (NSCs), but we like to think we do things a little bit differently. To find out if you might want to be a part of our whānau, you can click here.

We’ve changed a lot of things in the last year but there is logic to our madness. In fact, there has been an astounding amount of work put in by a variety of knowledgeable people to get us to this point. You can click the following links if you’d like to peek under the lid at our logic frameworks for the National Science Challenge or Ngā Rākau Taketake mahi (work).

No, there’s no contestable funding! We’re rebelling against the traditional funding model and because of this many people are wondering how we’re putting teams together. We want to be as transparent as possible about this process so please click here to read how we build the ‘right teams’, and how you can too.

Because we’re breaking the mould in Tranche 2, setting up investments has taken a little longer than usual. You can find a timeline of the process here, along with information about what’s going on behind the scenes.

Working in partnership with Māori underpins everything we do in Tranche 2.  This is particularly important in our investments. We believe that to create impact and long-term benefit we must adequately resource Māori to participate fully in New Zealand’s science and innovation system. You can find our guidelines for working in partnership with Māori here.

This is one of the many values we hold close and try to live by every day. To see the full list of our values, inclusion policies and codes of conduct you can click here.

Of course, everything is important. And there are some important things that are essential. And there are some essential things that are urgent. Unfortunately we are able to invest a very finite amount into research and related activities, so we had to prioritise the priorities – click here to find out how we did it.

If you can see yourself leading one of the areas identified for Tranche 2 investment please take a minute to read what we are looking for in co-leaders and their organisations. We are determined to ensure our values are upheld in every aspect of the Challenge, so it is vital both you and your host organisation are on board with these.

If you’re ‘on the kaupapa’ with how we believe things should be done then the next step is to think about any conflict of interest you might have. A mere two degrees of separation in Aotearoa can lead to everyone knowing someone who will benefit from anything, so it’s a good idea to read how we approach conflicts of interest.  

If you’re still reading you must have signed up to be part of the team (woohoo!), so you might need our Annual Workplan Template. This is a guide to putting together the ‘right teams’ and how to actively manage research and related activities. You’ll also need an Intellectual Property Management plan to manage the information going into, or coming out of your project.

To avoid duplication of work or the spontaneous combustion of your social licence, please ensure you communicate your mahi (work) before, during and after it happens. To do this you’ll need a communications plan – click here for a template.

Now that you’re on your feet please remember that we have people we need to report to as well. The BioHeritage Challenge has set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Tranche 2 funding, and we also have KPIs for the independent funding we received for Ngā Rākau Taketake. Click the respective links to read these.

If you’re a Project Lead or member of the Strategic Leadership Group:

You should read our Key Messages document, so you get an idea of the work that has gone on behind the scenes to get us to this point. Since you’ll be a critical part of building the right teams to get the most impact, we’ve written a guide to help you pick the perfect people.