MBIE Horizon Europe Top-up Funding Scheme

MBIE Horizon Europe Top-up Funding

Funds New Zealand innovation teams building Horizon Europe top-up support for EU partners from proof to commercialization.

Eligibility · EU member states

The Horizon Europe Top-up scheme is rolling and on-demand. MBIE adds a further 60% on top of each EU grant amount — converted from EUR to NZD at the RBNZ exchange rate on the day the EU grant agreement is signed — bringing total funded overheads to roughly 100% for New Zealand participants. A cap of NZ$1.05m of top-up funding per project applies (pro-rated if multiple NZ partners are in the same project). Crown Research Institutes classified by the European Commission as for-profit receive supplemental funding so they end up at parity with non-profit research organisations.

Application is two-stage through MBIE's Pītau portal. Stage 1 is a Registration that must be filed within 10 working days of the Horizon Europe call closing date. Stage 2 is the Application, submitted after the EU grant agreement is signed. Decisions are made by the MBIE Fund Manager — Specialised Investments, who may set pre-contractual or special conditions, vary the term, or vary the funding allocation.