New Zealand–China Strategic Research Alliance 2023: closed

About this opportunity

The New Zealand–China Strategic Research Alliance (SRA) is an annual joint funding programme funded by the Catalyst Strategic Fund. It is a bilateral initiative between MBIE and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). 

This opportunity is open to New Zealand research organisations for projects that align with the objective of developing enduring science and innovation collaborative partnerships with world-class Chinese counterparts on topics important to both countries. Activities must significantly broaden and deepen collaborative research partnerships between China and New Zealand.

The funding available

MBIE has made up to $1.2m (excluding GST) in total over 3 years available for investment in joint research partnerships between New Zealand and China that cannot be supported through existing funding.

MBIE and MOST have agreed to support 4 projects through this funding round, 2 in each priority area of food science and environmental science. Up to $300,000 (excluding GST) over 3 years is available for the New Zealand research partners of each successful project.

Chinese partners must apply for their own funding through MOST.  

A separate call and subsequent assessment process will be administered by the Health Research Council (HRC) on behalf of MBIE in the third priority area: health and biomedical science. Contact the HRC directly about this process.

Contact us(external link) — HRC 

Investment priorities

The proposed projects must align with 1 of the 2 priority research areas:

• Food science
• Environmental science

Further sub-areas for these priority areas are listed below.

Food science

• Animal and plant biotechnology
• Alternative proteins
• Biological hazards
• Chemical hazards
• Labelling and consumer information
• Production, processing, and handling

Environmental science

• Clean and renewable energy
• Climate change
• Biodiversity
• Water research (including ocean research)
• Natural hazards
• Pollution on land and sea

Key documents 

When developing your proposal, we encourage you to consult the following key reference documents:

Proposal Template for New Zealand–China SRA 2023 Funding Opportunity [DOCX, 215 KB]

National Statement of Science Investment 2015 to 2025 [PDF, 1.8 MB] — details the Government’s 10-year vision for New Zealand’s science system.

Vision Mātauranga policy [PDF, 418 KB] — outlines the Government’s policy framework that aims to unlock the innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources, and people to assist New Zealanders to create a better future.

New Zealand–China SRA 2023 Funding Contract Template [DOCX, 153 KB]

Catalyst Fund webpages 

Key dates