Catalyst Fund — Strategic

NZ — US Global Centers for Proposals

Funds New Zealand and United States collaborations improving critical infrastructure resilience for climate, energy, and cyber systems.

Eligibility · New Zealand, United States

The New Zealand – United States Global Centers 2026 call is an international research partnership opportunity co-funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) through the Catalyst Fund (Strategic stream) and the United States National Science Foundation (NSF). The Global Centers programme supports use-inspired research to address societal challenges that cannot be solved within a single research field or country. The 2026 competition theme is 'Advancing the Resilience and Security of Critical Infrastructure.' Only NSF Track 1 — Global Center Implementation — projects qualify for MBIE's Catalyst contribution; Track 2 projects are not eligible for New Zealand co-funding.

MBIE plans to allocate up to NZ$4.5 million (exclusive of GST) through the Catalyst Fund to support the activities of eligible New Zealand researchers within funded NSF Global Centers. MBIE expects to fund New Zealand participation in up to two Global Centers awards in the 2026 competition, with each award covering a term of up to five years. Eligible applicants are New Zealand-based universities, research organisations, and non-profit entities; for-profit companies and individuals are not eligible to lead on the MBIE side. New Zealand applicants must submit a joint proposal with a US partner to the NSF Global Centers program and also submit a separate, standalone proposal to MBIE. The page was last updated 12 February 2026; detailed scope and MBIE-specific application process details were noted as forthcoming at that date.

Organisations interested in this call should subscribe to MBIE's International Science Partnerships alerts at confirmsubscription.com/h/r/518BD57FB2880987 to receive updates on application process details and deadlines once published. Given that MBIE expects to fund only two consortia from the entire competition, applicants should ensure their proposed NZ research component is central — not peripheral — to the NSF Track 1 Global Center concept, and that the New Zealand team's expertise directly addresses the 2026 critical infrastructure theme.