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Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced the appointment of a new member to the Marsden Fund Council.

Professor Vicky Cameron will join the Council for three years from 1 December 2013 and will convene the Marsden Fund Council’s Biomedical Sciences Panel.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Revenue Minister Todd McClay today released a Government consultation document, Black hole R&D expenditure, which seeks feedback on proposals to resolve problems around the tax deductibility of certain types of business-related research and development expenditure.

New repayable Government grants of up to $450,000 per company will be invested into start-up technology companies to help get them underway, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The repayable grants will be distributed by a new type of private-sector led technology incubator, which will add its own funding to provide at least 25 per cent of the start-up company’s costs on a one for three basis. 

New Zealand’s top researchers have been awarded a record $59m in project funding from the Marsden fund over the next three years, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today. 

The 109 successful Marsden Fund projects were selected from a pool of 1157 proposals submitted for consideration by the Marsden Fund Council. 

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has announced that up to $470.3 million over 10 years in funding will be available for the first tranche of New Zealand’s 10 National Science Challenges.

Announced in May this year, the Challenges will take a strategic approach to some of the key science issues facing New Zealand. Three challenges have been selected in the first tranche. They are:

Ten of New Zealand’s top early to mid-career researchers have been awarded Rutherford Discovery Fellowships in 2013, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The Fellowships are designed to develop and foster future leaders in the New Zealand science sector.  They are funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The Government is investing $2.5 million over a maximum of five years to support research that will increase the productivity of the forestry industry, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The funding will support the development of new technologies that can be used by pine tree breeders to reduce the time it takes to breed and plant new improved trees by 15 years.

Nearly 300 future innovators will get the opportunity to work in some of New Zealand’s top commercial R&D facilities, thanks to new grants allocated today by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce.

$3.5 million worth of R&D Student Grants have been allocated to successful R&D active businesses enabling them to employ students with science, technology, engineering, design, or marketing degrees.

New Zealand researchers will receive $278 million in new research investment, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The 51 research programmes receiving funding are in the biological industries, high-value manufacturing and services, energy and minerals, environmental, and health and society sectors.

“Science and innovation is critical to New Zealand’s economic success and growth. Our science investments must result in research programmes that deliver economic, environmental, and social outcomes,” Mr Joyce says.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced the joint venture ownership agreement for New Zealand Food Innovation Auckland Ltd, which is trading as The FoodBowl – Te Ipu Kai.

The agreement and partnership sees Callaghan Innovation owning and funding two thirds of The FoodBowl and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) owning and funding the remaining third.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy today welcomed the announcement of Primary Growth Partnership funding of $6.75 million to investigate producing biofuels from forestry waste.

The ‘Stump to Pump’ Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programme partners are Norske Skog, Z Energy and the Government. The Government will match their funding of $6.75 million to bring the project’s total funding to $13.5 million.

New criteria for business R&D Grants that will allow more Kiwi businesses to access more than half a billion dollars’ worth of R&D funding assistance have been released today.

The new Callaghan Innovation grants - R&D Growth Grants, R&D Project Grants, and R&D Students Grants – were announced in Budget 2013. Budget increases of $98 million mean that a total of $566 million is now available over four years ($141.5 million a year) to encourage innovation through Callaghan Innovation’s business research and development grant schemes.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Revenue Minister Todd McClay today welcomed the release of an Inland Revenue Department tax policy paper which seeks public feedback on proposals to improve cash flow and remove tax distortions on research and development costs for start-up Kiwi businesses.

Callaghan Innovation’s first full three year Statement of Intent has been tabled in Parliament today, setting out how the new organisation will help increase business innovation, and speed up the commercialisation of new products and services.

The Statement of Intent sets Callaghan Innovation’s strategic direction and priorities for the next three years.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced several appointments to the boards of New Zealand’s Crown Research Institutes (CRIs).

Barry Harris has been appointed as Deputy Chair at AgResearch, following the retirement of Susan Huria.  Auckland-based marketing consultant Teresa Ciprian and Queensland-based scientist Dr Peter Stone also join the board.

Northland-based director Greg Gent has been appointed as Deputy Chair of the Plant & Food Research board, along with Christchurch-based scientist Professor Juliet Gerrard.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce arrives in Europe tonight to strengthen New Zealand’s science, innovation and international education links with the European Union.

The visit includes Mr Joyce opening the biennial New Zealand-European Commission Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee meeting in Brussels on 20 June.

“The EU plays an increasingly major role in setting the agenda for Europe’s research and innovation,” Mr Joyce says.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have marked three years of the Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) at a function at Parliament tonight.

“The PGP invests in research and innovation to boost productivity in New Zealand’s farming, forestry and food sectors,” Mr Guy says. “This will mean more exports, jobs and better environmental outcomes as well.”

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has agreed to an increase in the Heavy Engineering Research levy, to support innovation in the heavy engineering sector.

The compulsory levy on heavy steel and welding consumables part-funds the Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA), a not-for-profit industry owned and operated research association.

The levy for heavy steel, which has not increased since first introduced 25 years ago, will double to $10 per tonne from 1 July 2013. Other levy rates remain unchanged.

More than $15 million over three years is being invested in turning New Zealand researchers’ bright ideas into commercial ventures.

The Pre-Seed Accelerator Fund is shared between five organisations who will then allocate funding to specific projects.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has conducted a contestable process and decided on the following investments:

Innovative New Zealand businesses are invited to apply for funding to hire students as part of the Government’s R&D Student Grants scheme.

The R&D Student Grants, which will be administered by Callaghan Innovation, are available this year to R&D active New Zealand companies to employ up to 70 postgraduates and 200 undergraduate students from science, technology, engineering, design, or marketing degrees.

Budget 2013 has recognised the importance of the Marsden Fund to New Zealand’s science and innovation system with a funding increase of $20 million over four years.

“This year’s increase for the Marsden Fund reaffirms Government’s on-going support for fundamental, investigator-led research. Since 2008 we have increased support for the Marsden Fund by 37 per cent,” Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says.

The funding forms part of the $100 million a year internationally focused growth package, which is a centrepiece of Budget 2013.

Budget 2013 is investing nearly $130 million into Callaghan Innovation to encourage businesses to invest more in research and development, and to support new start-ups.

“Business innovation is crucial for New Zealand companies to compete and win in the tough international environment we have today,” Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says.

Budget 2013 delivers on the Government’s commitment to building a more competitive and productive economy with $200 million of new funding over the next four years for science and innovation, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says.

“Science and innovation are key drivers of economic growth and international competitiveness. To achieve this, New Zealand needs to develop better linkages with international markets and be a stronger player in research and development,” he says.

The Government has today announced the final 10 selected National Science Challenges and a $73.5 million boost over four years to fund them, as part of Budget 2013.

“The National Science Challenges will tackle some of the biggest science-based issues and opportunities facing New Zealand,” Minister of Science and Innovation Steven Joyce says.