NZAGRC Innovation Fund

Background

The NZAGRC has received funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to continue operating until 2025. Total funding for the 2019-2025 period is $48.5m, approximately double the previous annual allocation. The majority of NZAGRC funding is negotiated with research providers but the additional funding received has enabled the introduction of a competitive fund. Funding rounds will take place in 2020 and 2022.

Innovation Fund focus for 2020

The NZAGRC Innovation Fund seeks proposals that address one or both of the following research areas: 

1. Reducing methane emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminants
2. Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from ruminant animal deposited urine patches

Fundamental to applied projects will be considered, but successful proposals must significantly strengthen current research avenues and/or develop novel approaches that show major promise for bringing practical, farm-level solutions closer to on-farm implementation. 

Features of the 2020 funding round

• A total of NZ$2 million is available. 
• Individual projects will have a maximum value of $0.5 million and a maximum duration of two years. 
• Proposals are invited from New Zealand based research providers, organisations and companies. 
• Co-funding is strongly encouraged for all proposals and is mandatory for industry-led proposals (minimum 1:1 co-funding).
• The research should be conducted in a manner that ensures the widest possible benefit to New Zealand. Therefore, unless there are strong reasons to protect Intellectual Property, for example commercialisation, it should be made public and freely available. 
• A singe stage application process using a contract-ready application form. 
• Applications will be evaluated by a specially constituted technical assessment panel who make funding recommendations to the NZAGRC Governance Group, who have final responsibility for approving funding.

Key dates