Notice Type
Departmental
Notice Title

Amendment to the Science Board Criteria for Assessing Proposals for Specified Research, Science and Technology Funding

Under section 8(1) of the Research, Science, and Technology Act 2010, and section 15 of the Interpretation Act 1999, I amend the notice entitled "Criteria for Proposals for Science-led Contestable Funding", published in the Supplement to the
New Zealand Gazette, 5 December 2012, No. 146, at page 4242, by inserting the following additional text at the end of
the notice:
"SCHEDULE 4
COMMERCIALISATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SUPPORT
The Science Board can use Objective 2 of this investment tool when making funding decisions.
POLICY OBJECTIVES
The objective of this tool is to increase the benefit to New Zealand derived from publicly funded research, science and technology outputs.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this tool are to improve the ability of:
1. research organisations to commercialise the results of their research, science and technology
- via existing businesses and industry organisations, or
- in the absence of a well-established industry, through the creation of new commercial entities; and
2. research users to access the skills, knowledge and results generated by publicly funded research, science and technology.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
For Objective 1:
Research organisations are eligible to receive funding under this tool to support activities that develop publicly funded research, science and technology to an ‘investor ready’ point, including:
- Experimental development and related pre-commercial activities
- Activities that raise research providers’ commercial capabilities and skills
- Activities that improve links between publicly funded research providers and potential private sector partners.
For Objective 2:
Research, science and technology users are eligible to receive funding under this tool to support:
- improved science input from research organisations to their activities, including decision making;
- an increase in their engagement with the RS&T sector; and
- greater collective engagement between research users and the science system generally.
PARAMETERS SPECIFIC TO THIS TOOL
- For Objective 1, co-funding is required for funding going to research organisations and their offices
- Research users may include regional councils
- Some activities funded under this initiative may be devolved to research organisations.
- For Objective 1:
- The Board, or a provider to whom the Board has devolved funds, will use the investment tool to fund a project, or portfolio of projects at an aggregate level, at up to 50% of the eligible costs that the provider will incur. Eligible costs mean the total costs of a project or a group of projects funded under this investment tool.
- The provider may reprioritise existing funds allocated by the Board (or the entity previously called the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology), up to a maximum of 12.5% of eligible costs and with prior approval from the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
- The balance of the eligible costs may come from one or more of the sources listed below:
- The provider’s own discretionary funds;
- Other external funds, such as private sector co-investment, but excluding non-research funds sourced from public sector funding agencies."
Dated at Wellington this 28th day of January 2013.
HON STEVEN JOYCE, Minister of Science and Innovation.