New Zealand MBIE Endeavour Fund Smart Ideas
Supports New Zealand innovation in deep-tech through MBIE grant partnerships.
The New Zealand MBIE Endeavour Fund Smart Ideas programme sits within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Science and Innovation arm. It is a New Zealand government grant line, with a disclosed award range of NZ$400,000 to NZ$2 million and a median actual award of NZ$800,000. The programme is framed around strategic New Zealand deep-tech work rather than broad, open-ended research support. Its funding model is grant-based, runs on an annual cycle, and is open to NZ-based for-profit applicants only. The structured eligibility profile places the work at TRL 1-4, excludes nonprofits and individuals, requires no match funding, and bars stacking the same project. That makes it a fit for early-stage technical teams that already have a clear company structure and a bounded scientific case. Smart Ideas is best read as MBIE’s contained, high-value route for domestic technology projects that need meaningful non-dilutive capital without leaving the public-interest frame. The award band is large enough to carry serious experimental work, but the eligibility screen stays tight, so applicants need to show both technical plausibility and a clear strategic case for New Zealand.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.