New Zealand businesses carrying out research and development can apply for up to NZ$11,960 plus GST to employ a tertiary-level student through the R&D Experience Grant 2026.

The grant supports a 10-week, full-time internship in which the student works on a clearly defined R&D project relevant to their qualification.

Applications are open and close at 9:00am on Monday, 24 August 2026, unless the available funding is fully allocated before that date. Businesses should therefore apply early rather than waiting until the final week.

What Is the R&D Experience Grant?

The R&D Experience Grant helps innovative businesses add temporary capability to their research and development teams.

A student studying science, technology, engineering, design or business joins the company and gains practical industry experience. In return, the business receives additional skills and a fresh perspective on its R&D challenge.

The proposed work must be genuinely innovative. It should be new or creative, involve technical uncertainty and follow a planned process of investigation or experimentation. Routine business operations, ordinary market research and minor improvements to existing products are generally not sufficient.

How Much Funding Is Available?

Innovation Services funds up to NZ$11,960 plus GST for a maximum of 400 hours.

The student must work for ten weeks, with at least 30 hours completed each week. The employer must pay no less than NZ$29.90 per hour and place the student on the company’s payroll as a PAYE employee.

The grant reimburses eligible wages. The employer remains responsible for annual leave, tax, KiwiSaver contributions, ACC levies, recruitment expenses and other employment-related costs.

Payment is made after the internship. The business submits the required report, payslips, student-eligibility evidence and an invoice through the Innovation Services grants portal.

Which Businesses Can Apply?

Eligible applicants include:

• Companies incorporated and registered in New Zealand;
• Registered limited partnerships;
• Māori incorporations;
• Qualifying trusts or organisations managing multiply owned Māori assets.

The business must have enough money to continue operating for at least the next six to 12 months. It must employ at least one R&D full-time equivalent, have an active R&D programme, maintain an R&D budget and employ technical staff.

Applicants must also show evidence of R&D activity during the previous year and present a plan for the coming year.

Sole traders, ordinary partnerships, charitable trusts, joint ventures and companies incorporated overseas but merely registered to trade in New Zealand are not eligible. Businesses owned or controlled by government agencies, local authorities, Crown entities or tertiary institutions may also be excluded.

Which Students Are Eligible?

The student must be studying, or have recently studied, a qualification at NZQA Level 6 to 10 in science, technology, engineering, design or business at a New Zealand tertiary education institution.

A graduate may qualify where their final semester ended within the previous 12 months. The student must also be legally entitled to work in New Zealand.

Students can participate in more than one R&D Experience internship during their studies, but they can complete no more than two with the same business and only one internship per funding round.

The company does not need to recruit a student before applying for the grant.

How Many Students Can a Business Hire?

The number of grants available to one company depends on the size of its internal R&D team.

A business can generally apply for one student for every two R&D full-time equivalents, up to a maximum of ten students. A company with only one R&D employee may still apply for one student.

A business may assign one student to one project, multiple students to the same project or allow a student to contribute to more than one connected R&D activity.

Internship Requirements

Once the grant is approved, the business recruits the student and signs an employment agreement.

The internship must:

• Begin before 1 December 2026;
• Run for ten weeks;
• Be completed by 31 March 2027;
• Involve at least 30 working hours per week;
• Take place mainly at the business;
• Expose the student to technical work connected to their qualification.

The internship cannot be structured primarily as remote work at the student’s home or as university-based research.

How to Strengthen Your Application

Clearly describe the technical problem, what is unknown and the systematic work the company will carry out to resolve that uncertainty.

Explain the student’s role, the technical skills they will develop, the employee who will supervise them and how their contribution will advance the R&D project.

Applicants should also prepare financial records, cash-flow information, their New Zealand Business Number, previous R&D evidence, the upcoming R&D plan and a professional-development plan for each proposed student.

Official Application Link

Log in to the Innovation Services grants portal

New applicants should first review the official R&D Experience Grant guidance and contact Innovation Services for portal access.