Business R&D Student Grants

R&D Career Grant

Funds New Zealand for-profit companies hiring recent Masters or PhD graduates into 6-month R&D roles.

Eligibility · New Zealand only

The R&D Career Grant is a non-dilutive salary grant administered by Callaghan Innovation (a New Zealand Crown entity) under the Business R&D Grants scheme, now managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) after Callaghan Innovation's disestablishment process. It bridges the first 6 months of employment for a recent Masters or PhD graduate moving into a commercial R&D role at a New Zealand company. The grant pays the graduate's salary for that 6-month period — it is not a project or equipment grant.

The funding covers only the salary of the graduate, not any other project costs. The graduate must be employed on the company payroll (not as a contractor) for a minimum of 6 months. Current indicative amounts are around NZD $30,000 for a Masters graduate or NZD $35,000 for a PhD graduate (amounts set per funding cycle; the agreement template shows a placeholder).

To be eligible, the applicant must be a company registered under the Companies Act 1993, a limited partnership, or a qualifying Maori entity. Government entities, crown entities, publicly-funded education institutions, and companies incorporated overseas are all excluded. The company must have an active R&D programme in-house — the work cannot be outsourced to a third party. The student must be a recent Masters or PhD graduate who has not been previously employed full-time by the business.

Applications are submitted through Callaghan Innovation's grants portal. After approval, the business enters into a funding agreement and invoices Callaghan Innovation when the employment period ends, along with payslips as evidence. A final report is required within 2 months of the contract end date.

Note: Callaghan Innovation is being progressively disestablished through 2026. R&D grant administration transferred to MBIE on 1 December 2025. The Career Grant programme is continuing through this transition period and remains open to applications.