About the PBRF

The Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) started in 2003.

Since then, there have been:

• increases in the average quality of research
• higher completion rates for postgraduate research degrees
• growth in world-indexed publications and citations.

This contributes to the global rankings of our universities and enhances New Zealand’s international reputation for providing a high-quality educational experience.

Components of the PBRF

The PBRF has 3 funding components:

• Quality Evaluation (QE) - 55% of the fund.
• Research Degree Completions (RDCs) - 25% of the fund.
• External Research Income (ERI) - 20% of the fund.

Reviews of the PBRF

Since its introduction, the PBRF has been reviewed several times. Each change was consulted on through independent or Ministry-led policy reviews and a TEC-led Sector Reference Group process.

The most recent review was in 2019 by an independent panel of national and international researchers who recommended a number of changes.

Read about the Government’s response to the proposed changes and the panel’s report.

Changes to the PBRF

Cabinet agreed to a package of changes in 2020. Read about the changes in the documents below.

Information about changes to the PBRF, including the cancellation of the next QE, is on the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) website.

Performance-Based Research Fund – Tertiary Education Commission