17 AUGUST
NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
2239

• encourage New Zealand enterprises to establish in-house research, technological and innovative capabilities, and to integrate the use of those capabilities into their overall competitive strategies.

The scheme will aim to fund projects which will preferably result in a permanent change in the behaviour of the enterprise involved and, through commercially successful application of technology, provide an effective example or role model for other enterprises in the same industry or sector. The scheme could also demonstrate an approach to overcoming a generic problem (actual or attitudinal) with a sector or group of enterprises.

The broad criteria or constraints which will apply to all programmes within the scheme are as follows:

• The scheme will not target specific sectors, rather there will be a general requirement to ensure that the scheme spreads over a number of sectors rather than concentrated on just a few.

• The scheme will be aimed at funding initiatives which result in establishing or enhancing technological capability or capacity within enterprises, and which would not otherwise received adequate support, i.e. funds will not support projects which would have gone ahead anyway.

Additional criteria applying to all programmes other than the Technology Transfer Programme are:

• In general, user contribution of funding should be more than 50% of the cost of the project, subject to variation according to project needs. This demonstrates a credible and sustainable end-use commitment to the particular proposal.

• A key element of the programmes is that proposals should be strongly user linked and market driven. This should be demonstrated principally through the provision of user funding and the commitment of a user to take up the end product of the project. This will create an increase in private sector investment as a result and also a strong commitment to overall management of the projects supported.

To achieve these objectives, interlinked programmes are to be established, to be administered by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

The following programmes apply within the Scheme:

Co-operative Research and Technology Programme

This programme is aimed at companies that are not strategically managing their technology requirements. The programme will support cooperative research between research institutions and companies including the placement of scientists and technologists in private sector organisations. The programme will also encourage joint venture technology exploitation between enterprises and public sector science agencies to help in overcoming barriers to technology uptake.

It is expected that this programme will foster links between enterprises and research organisations with an aim of overcoming the lack of scientific and technological skills in enterprises. It is primarily designed to encourage enterprises to use scientific capabilities (particularly staff) to assist embryonic research programmes and innovation in those enterprises. Proposals can be initiated by the enterprise but in collaboration with the research organisation providing the capability;

In addition to the criteria set out above, following additional criteria apply specifically to this programme:

• All proposals should be jointly made between an enterprise (or group of enterprises) and a suitable research institution. However the industry partner should be clearly in the lead role to ensure ownership of the outcome.

• Enterprises with effectively no or low levels of in-house r & d capacity or little record of r & d investment but demonstrating a commitment to a change in approach will be encouraged to apply.

Technology Transfer Programme

This programme is designed to promote the uptake in New Zealand enterprises of technology contained in the existing knowledge base. The programme will include technologies or practices developed by the Government’s historical investment in science in New Zealand but will extend to other sources of technology as well.

The following criteria apply specifically to this programme:

• Proposals must have the potential to achieve long term benefits to the industry sector and the economy.

• To maximise the impact of the programme across the whole economy, no single sector will be favoured (i.e. it is open to all sectors of the economy). To ensure this, the programme will need to demonstrate broad sector coverage.

• The programme will favour technology transfer to multiple (as opposed to single) end users. Where one-on-one technology transfer is being supported, demonstrable spin-offs must be able to occur to other similar users.

• Funding may be channelled through brokers or consultants (which may be CRIs, specialist firms, industry associations or appropriately qualified individuals) who are able to establish a credible link between the knowledge base and groups of users.

• Funding should complement and not replace current funding for technology transfer activity being made by the private sector or other Government agencies.

• Proposals should be end use driven with demonstrable links to these users.

• The programme will aim to assist in overcoming generic problems in different industry groups or sectors rather than assisting individual users or suppliers of technology on an ad hoc basis.

In-House R & D Programme

This programme will co-fund research and technological development conducted by enterprises with no link to a public research agency with the principal aim of establishing an effective in-house research or technological capacity (ie the programme will not support the use of an established capacity with no element of extension or expansion.) This programme is intended to catalyse important elements of strategic technology management in industry through the accumulation of relevant technological skills and expertise.

The following criterion applies specifically to this programme:

• enterprises with effectively no or low levels of in-house r & d capacity, or planning to use funding to add a new dimension to existing capacity, will be encouraged to apply.

Integration of proposals

Although the programmes are separately defined they overlap to some degree, and it is recognised that an integrated approach may often be sensible. Proposals may therefore fall into more than one category and this will not be a negative factor in proposal assessment.

Funding for the Scheme

The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology will be appropriated $10.622 million through Vote : Research, Science and Technology for the 1995/96 financial year which will be disbursed to participants through the allocative processes adopted by the Foundation. Future