R&D funding

Grant guidelines and FAQs

General information about our R&D Grants, including business eligibility and what information will be made public.

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New grants criteria and application process

We are now accepting applications for Getting Started, Fellowship, Career and Project Grants following our pause in October and November. However, as there is limited funding, a new waitlist process is in place along with new criteria for the rest of the financial year. Please take a look at our grants pages for the most current criteria and application process.

 

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FAQs - October application pause

What are the new criteria changes for R&D Grants from December?

New Fellowship and Career Grant criteria:

  • Businesses can only have one active Career or Fellowship Grant student at a time. In other words - if you have a student on board now, funded by either a Fellowship or Career Grant, you can’t apply for another during this time. However, if that funded student placement finishes, then you will be able to join the waitlist for another. 
  • Note: This does not relate to Student Experience Grants as we have completed the application and approval round for this financial year. If you have an approved  Student Experience Grant for this year you can still join the waitlist to apply for Fellowship or Career Grants. 
  • Enrolment for Fellowship Grant students specifically, must be confirmed by 31 March 2022. If you miss this date, your contract will be cancelled. This criteria will be applied to all Fellowship Grant approvals, including those made prior to 1 December with pre-contract conditions in place.

New Project Grant criteria:

  • For the rest of this financial year, Project Grants will only be open to new Project Grant applicants. In other words, if your business has already received a Project or Growth Grant, you will not be able to join the waitlist to apply for this financial year. You can however join the waitlist if you have only received a Getting Started Grant. 
  • There is a new cap on Project Grant eligible spend which is $375k, with our co-funding amount continuing at 40%. If your total project costs are greater than this, you must be able to demonstrate that you can fund the balance. 
How does the new waitlist application process work?

Following another popular year, waitlists are now in place for Getting Started, Project, Fellowship and Career Grants. 

All grants will be processed via a new waitlist process: 

  1. Businesses wanting to apply for Getting Started, Career, Fellowship or Project Grants will need to fill out a waitlist form. Please check the eligibility criteria carefully to ensure you are eligible to apply. 
  2. You will be contacted by a customer manager to confirm you are eligible to apply for the grant and are undertaking eligible R&D activities. 
  3. Invitations to formally apply from the waitlist will be sent out in monthly batches (approx mid-month).
  4. Once invited to apply, you will have 2 weeks to submit the full grant application. We strongly encourage you to start getting the required information together ahead of the waitlist process. A sample application form containing details of what information will be required to apply to the waitlist can be found [here]. Applications not submitted in full within the 2-week period will be automatically closed and the funds will be reallocated back to the waitlist pool.

Join the waitlist to apply

 

When will there be more budget?

These measures are related to our 2021/22 budget. The Government Budget is currently developing its 2022/23 budget. 

Why are these changes being made?

We have a limited amount of funding per year, and we need to manage how we service demand within this annual appropriation.

When will I hear back if I am able to apply after joining the waitlist?

Invitations to formally apply from the waitlist will be sent out in monthly batches (approx mid-month).

How long will I have to submit my formal application?

Once invited to apply from the waitlist, you will have 2 weeks to submit the full grant application. We strongly encourage you to start getting the required information together ahead of the waitlist process. A sample application form containing details of what information will be required to apply can be found [here]. Applications not submitted in full within the 2-week period will be automatically closed and the funds will be reallocated back to the waitlist pool.

General grant information

Is my business eligible for R&D funding?

In addition to meeting specific criteria for each grant, your business must be one of the following:

  • Registered under the Companies Act
  • Registered under the Limited Partnerships Act
  • A Māori incorporation or trust established under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, a trust set up to manage assets as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement, a Māori statutory body, or a business controlled by one or more of these entities.

Typically government organisations are not eligible for R&D grants. Universities, Polytechnics, Crown Research Institutes, Public health entities, Crown entities, local government as well as State owned enterprises and other companies where Government is a major shareholder are not eligible for Callaghan Innovation’s R&D grants. Please refer to the Ministerial Direction for full eligibility criteria.

What information will be made public about the grant my business receives?

Callaghan Innovation will not release any confidential information unless we are obliged to under the Official Information Act or by other laws, or to provide an answer to parliamentary questions. We will advise you of requests for information to the extent permitted by law.

Details of the businesses that receive an R&D grant from Callaghan Innovation are published on the Grant Recipients page of this website. The name of the business receiving the grant, the title of the project being supported, the grant type and value, and the grant start and end dates are published. Ministerial releases may also include these details.

General grants guides

2020 Ministerial Direction - Criteria for Assessing Proposals for Growth Grant Funding

2020 Ministerial Direction – Amendment Notice for Growth Grant Funding (30 April 2020)

2018 Ministerial Direction - Criteria for Assessing Proposals for Project and Student Grant Funding

Further information

For more specific information about each R&D Grant we administer, including guidelines and FAQs, visit the relevant website page: 

 

Updated: 1 December 2021