NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 94

25 JULY 2013

• Collaborative R&D projects will only receive funding for 15–30 per cent of the R&D eligible expenditure on top of the R&D Growth Grant. If one of the contributing businesses does not have a R&D Growth Grant, the R&D Project Grant will typically provide funding for 30–50 per cent of their eligible expenditure.
• Callaghan Innovation must ensure the total annual funding allocated to all R&D Project Grants does not exceed 40 per cent of eligible expenditure.

JUDGEMENT CRITERIA

Callaghan Innovation must assess proposals against the following criteria:

A. Private Investment Returns

Key Question: Assuming the project is successful, what are the potential commercial returns to the business (or group of businesses)?

B. Pathway to Market (commercial outcomes)

Key Question: Assuming the technical aspects of the project are successful, how capable will the business (or group of businesses) be at successfully commercialising or implementing the results?

C. Ability to Deliver (R&D outputs)

Key Question: How capable will the business (or group of businesses) be at successfully delivering on the technical aspects of the project?

D. Develop R&D Programme

Key Question: To what extent will the project be a technical stretch for the business (or group of businesses) and/or contribute to the development of a more stable and substantial New Zealand-based R&D programme within the business (or group of businesses)?

E. Grant Impact

Key Question: How strong will the impact of grant funding be on the delivery, scale, quality or commercial success of the project?

F. Benefits Outside the Business

Key Question: How much potential is there for benefit to accrue outside the business (or group of businesses) to other New Zealand businesses or society?

• Criteria A–F must be the basis upon which Callaghan Innovation determines whether to provide a grant for a project.
• Criteria E and F must be the basis upon which Callaghan determines the co-funding rate for individual grants.

INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO THIS INITIATIVE

• R&D Project grants are primarily targeted at businesses that do not receive a R&D Growth Grant, for example, businesses with smaller research and development programmes and businesses new to R&D.
• A business may receive multiple R&D Project grants (each grant for a distinct project).

3. Research and Development (R&D) Student Grants

POLICY OBJECTIVE

The objective of this initiative, in addition to the overall policy objective of the business-led R&D tool, is to support New Zealand undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain and develop their technical skills in a commercial research environment, while bringing capability into New Zealand businesses.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

In addition to the BUSINESS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA stated earlier, to be eligible to receive funding under this initiative, a business must:

• have an active R&D programme.
• ensure that the student(s) that the grant relates to:
  • is a science, technology, engineering, design or business student from a tertiary education institution;
  • is studying a degree at NZQA levels 7 to 10 or equivalent; and
  • has appropriate immigration status at the time of application (or an application in progress that is subsequently approved).

DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE EXPENDITURE FOR R&D STUDENT GRANTS

The eligible expenditure that may be incurred is limited to wages and salary of the student, a tax-free stipend for the student, a tertiary administration fee and, when the business is located a significant distance from the tertiary education institute, a travel allowance for the student.

JUDGEMENT CRITERIA

Callaghan Innovation must assess proposals against the following criteria:

A. Student Exposure to R&D

Key Question: How will the involvement of the student within the business expose them to technical work that is relevant to their degree? This should be in the form of a defined R&D project.

B. Student Professional Development

Key Question: Does the business have a credible plan for the professional development of the student, and what resources has the business committed towards this?

C. Benefit to the Business

Key Question: How will the involvement of the student within the business support the business’ internal capability development?

Dated at Wellington this 18th day of July 2013.

HON STEVEN JOYCE, Minister of Science and Innovation.