MBIE Horizon Europe Top-up Funding Scheme

MBIE's Horizon Europe Top-up scheme is administered through the Catalyst Fund and provides additional overhead funding for New Zealand entities contracted by the European Commission under Horizon Europe Pillar 2 programmes. The European Commission pays a flat 25% of eligible direct costs as overheads; MBIE's top-up adds a further 60% on top of each grant, bringing 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). Application is a two-stage process via the Pītau portal: a Registration must be filed within 10 working days of the Horizon Europe call closing date, followed by a full Application once the EU grant agreement is signed. Cluster 2 initiatives and New European Bauhaus Facility initiatives from the 2026 and 2027 work programmes are excluded. Departments of the public service (Schedule 2 of the Public Service Act 2020) are not eligible. Crown Research Institutes classified by the EC as for-profit receive supplemental funding so they receive equivalent project funding to non-profit research organisations. Final funding decisions are made by the MBIE Fund Manager — Specialised Investments.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.