Supercharge your Research and Development (R&D) projects with the Callaghan Innovation R&D Experience Grants 2022.

Applications are now open for this highly popular internship programme, connecting businesses with smart, enthusiastic and fresh-thinking talent. Students and recent graduates gain valuable full-time work experience in science, engineering, technology, business and design as businesses are funded to engage them in R&D.

How does it work? The Grants provide a paid internship of $9,460 (excl. GST) over the student summer break to help you with an R&D project or activity, covering 400 hours of full-time work for up to 10 weeks. The Grants provide both the students and the business with a valuable learning opportunity.

Applications for Experience Grants are open for businesses from 22 August 2022 to 30 September 2022 (applications may close earlier if all funding is allocated).

Benefits of R&D Experience Grants

“Biophive has been a recipient of the R&D Experience Grants from Callaghan Innovation. These have provided the business exposure to quality talent that comes through both engineering and food technology degrees in New Zealand. The students have been able to work on cutting-edge projects that the company would not be able to do without the R&D Experience Grants. This is great for both the students and the company.”
Cameron Massie, General Manager at Biophive“I completed an internship with Greentech Robotics under the Callaghan Innovation student experience grant during the university summer break, where I am completing a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Mechatronics. The internship at Greentech exposed me to an open-ended engineering problem, the likes of which I had not been faced with during my studies. This challenged me to use the skills I had learnt in my degree, in addition to learning new skills on the fly. Some technical skills I developed included software design, web development and image processing while learning how to manage and plan a project. During my experience, I had the privilege of drawing knowledge and inspiration from the experienced engineers at Greentech. It was exciting to see what a career as a professional engineer could look like for me."
Joshua Ellingham who worked at Greentech Robotics last summer

Who can apply?

For businesses

To apply for an R&D Experience Grant, your business must be an eligible business entity:

• Registered under the Companies Act
• Registered under the Limited Partnerships Act
• A Māori incorporation or trust established under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, a trust set up to manage assets as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement, a Māori statutory body, or a business controlled by one or more of these entities

To qualify, your business must also:

• Have an active R&D programme i.e. R&D budget and R&D staff
• Meet financial due diligence requirements

For students

To be eligible for an R&D Experience Grant internship, students must:

• Be studying, or have recently completed, an undergraduate or postgraduate degree or qualification at NZQA Level 7-10. If study has been completed, the closing date of your final semester should be less than six months ago
• Be studying science, technology, engineering, design or business at a New Zealand tertiary education institute
• Be legally permitted to work in New Zealand
• Not have been previously employed at the business, unless part-time or temporary
• Not have undertaken more than two Experience Grant internships with the same business