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Catalyst Fund
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Funded projects
- Catalyst: Strategic SAR4SAR
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand–United States Biotech Digital Twin Research Programme
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand–United States Joint Antarctic Research Programme
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand – Korea 2025 Joint Research Partnerships Programme
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-China joint research partnerships 2024
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Singapore Leveraging AI for Healthy Ageing 2025
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand – Singapore Biotech In Future Foods Research Programme 2025
- Catalyst: Strategic - Supporting HALO-South: New Zealand-German Climate Science Collaboration
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Japan Joint Research Programme 2024
- e-ASIA Joint Research Programme 2024
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-China joint research partnerships 2023
- Catalyst: Strategic – Australia New Zealand Collaborative Space Programme
- Catalyst: Strategic – Abundant Intelligences Aotearoa
- Catalyst: Strategic – a quantum technologies research platform
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-China joint research partnerships 2022
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-China joint research partnerships 2020/2021
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Singapore Data Science Research Programme
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Singapore Future Foods Research Programme
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-China joint research partnerships 2019/2020
- Catalyst: Strategic – Space 2019
- Catalyst: Strategic – a collaborative biomedical science research programme with China
- Catalyst: Strategic – the New Zealand-China Research Collaboration Centres
- Catalyst: Strategic – Auckland Bioengineering Institute 12 Labours project
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Germany Green Hydrogen Research Programme
- Catalyst: Strategic – Investment in health-related A.I. research in partnership with Soul Machines
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand – NASA Research Partnerships 2023
- Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand – NASA Joint Research Programme in Earth Observation
- Catalyst Strategic performance areas and sample key performance indicators
Catalyst: Strategic SAR4SAR
MBIE is investing up to $150,000 over 3 years to support a PhD project, developing space enabled maritime search and rescue capability, using synthetic aperture radar, with support from US partners.
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About this programme
This Catalyst-funded SAR4SAR project explores how space-enabled satellite radar data can help narrow search areas during maritime search and rescue operations. The project is delivered by the University of Auckland and their startup ‘Seascape’, with wider support from New Zealand Defence Science and Technology, and in partnership with the United States Indo-Pacific Command (US INDOPACOM) and Umbra Space.
Funded projects
University of Auckland
Contract value: $149,884 (Excluding GST)
Contract duration: 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2029
Public statement
This project will develop new tools to help find people and vessels lost at sea more quickly. When accidents occur in remote ocean areas, search teams must cover vast regions, often in poor weather and with little information. This research focuses on 2 complementary solutions to make search and rescue faster and more reliable.
First, we will design compact emergency radar reflectors for stowage in small vessels and life rafts. These devices will produce a distinctive, recognisable signature in satellite radar images, making them much easier to detect and distinguish from waves or background ocean clutter.
Second, the project will develop artificial intelligence methods that analyse satellite radar images to detect these signals on the ocean surface. Radar satellites can operate day and night and through cloud, making them especially valuable when aircraft or visual searches are limited.
Together, these technologies will reduce search time, lower costs, and increase the chances of survival by helping rescuers locate people in distress sooner, even in challenging ocean conditions. The project will contribute to safer maritime travel and strengthen New Zealand’s capability in space-enabled search and rescue.