R&D Experience Grants

Bring smart, enthusiastic and fresh thinking into your R&D activities with support provided by undergraduate students in their summer break.

How can the grant help me?

The R&D Experience Grant is an internship designed as work experience during the student summer break.

The student is expected to help you with an R&D project or activity.

How does it work?

Your business will receive funding of $7,200 (plus GST) for 400 hours of full-time work upon proof of your payment to the student.

Who can apply?

For businesses

To apply for an R&D Experience 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.

To qualify, your business must also:

Have an active R&D programme i.e. a R&D budget and R&D staff
Meet financial due diligence requirements.

For students

To be eligible for an R&D Experience Grant internship, students must:

Be studying a bachelor degree, a graduate diploma or certificate, a bachelor honours degree, a postgraduate diploma or certificate, or con-joint undergraduate degrees. If graduated, this must have been in the last 6 months.
Be studying science, technology, engineering, design or business at a New Zealand tertiary education institute.
Be legally permitted to work in New Zealand.
Not have been previously employed at the business in a position related to their area of study, or doing R&D.

How do I apply?

For Business

Applications are open from April to September (inclusive). Talk to us and we’ll help you through the process. Phone Callaghan Innovation on 0800 4 CALLAGHAN (0800 422 552).

For Students

Students apply directly to businesses. Businesses will advertise their R&D Experience Grant internships from April. Students may find internships through: