Budget 2020
As part of Budget 2020 and the COVID Response and Recovery Fund, the Government has announced a $401.3 million package over 4 years for research, science and innovation.
The package includes support for businesses to continue Research & Development, reprioritisation of existing funds to enable more Māori to participate in and benefit from research, science and innovation, and funding for research institutes to continue to innovate and be able to respond to the challenges that COVID-19 will bring.
This investment highlights that Government wants to continue to use the science system as a key component for economic recovery following the impact of COVID-19 and to drive the environmental, social and economic outcomes to transform the New Zealand economy and support a productive nation.
Budget 2020 and the COVID Response and Recovery Fund includes:
$196 million to ensure Crown Research Institutes are set up for success and help them to maintain science capability required to participate in New Zealand’s recovery efforts through continued research, science and innovation work. The package includes increased funding for Science Investment Fund Platforms, which enables Crown Research Institutes to plan effectively and strategically, deliver transformative and future thinking science, and develop core workforce capability required to deliver benefits to New Zealand.
$150 million for a short-term Research & Development Loan scheme, to provide immediate cash support to R&D-performing businesses to reduce the negative impact that the COVID-19 crisis is expected to have on R&D investment.
$33 million for expanding the impact of Vision Mātauranga.
$12 million for the Nationally Significant Collections and Databases, to support custodianship of collections and databases that have been determined to be important to New Zealand.
$10 million to assist Callaghan Innovation with maintaining in-house R&D capability to serve New Zealand businesses, particularly early stage R&D intensive companies that are disproportionally affected by COVID-19.
The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) has been allocated a capital contingency from Budget 2020 for much needed renovations at its Kenepuru site.
AgResearch will also receive capital expenditure from the COVID Response and Recovery Fund, to develop a new fit-for-future scientific research facility and corporate headquarters at Lincoln University.
More information about the Research & Development Loan Scheme(external link) can be found on the Callaghan Innovation website.
| Title ($m) | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Research Institutes COVID-19 Response and Recovery | 45.10 | 92.05 | 19.75 | 19.75 | 19.75 | 196.4 |
| Short-term Research & Development Loan Scheme | 0.05 | 149.55 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.1 | 150 |
| Expanding the impact of Vision Mātauranga | - | 2 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 33 |
| Nationally Significant Collections and Databases | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Maintaining R&D services to New Zealand’s businesses (Callaghan Innovation) | 3.6 | 6.3 | - | - | - | 9.9 |
| Total | 48.75 | 252.9 | 27.9 | 35.9 | 35.85 | 401.3 |