COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund
From April 2020 to June 2020, we called for expression of interests for COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund (the Fund) funding.
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The initial size of the Fund was $25 million (excluding GST) with an anticipated minimum proposal size of $50,000 (excluding GST) and a criteria that projects needed to achieve impact within 18 months.
The Fund aimed to:
- accelerate the operational deployment of innovative solutions in order to support responses to COVID-19, and alleviate the direct impacts of the virus threat, and
- provide rapid short-term support to New Zealand based entities to develop and more quickly deploy a range of new products, processes, or services (‘products’).
Funding applications for the COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund have closed. The successful applicants are detailed in the table below.
Fund recipients
| Organisation | Project | Amount funded (GST exclusive) |
| AgResearch | MicroRNA-based diagnosis of COVID-19 in asymptomatic people | $250,000 |
| AgResearch | Sub-2 minute sample-to-result screening diagnostic method for Covid-19 | $300,000 |
| AgResearch | Light sterilisation (contact-surface or airborne) of Coronaviruses using UV-C and Blue Light LED, in combination | $300,000 |
| Air-guard Ltd (T/A Ao Air) | Adapting, validating & commercialisation of next generation respiratory protection to virus protection for healthcare workers | $500,000 |
| Auckland University of Technology | Tailoring and deploying a web-based safety decision tool for women experiencing domestic violence during COVID-19 | $597,881 |
| AUT Ventures Ltd | Autogenous Humidifier for Critical Care | $169,000 |
| Avalia Immunotherapies Limited | Addressing security of supply for a SARS-CoV-2 prophylactic vaccine for New Zealanders, now and in the future | $100,000 * See note below |
| Canterbury District Health Board | Improving the clinical management of COVID-19 with an enhanced SARS-CoV2 testing pathway | $50,000 |
| Core Schedule | Disaster contingency rostering for medical staff | $172,000 |
| Covid19 Vaccine Corporation Limited | Create and test in humans a COVID19 vaccine based on microbead display technology | $488,000 *See note below |
| Digital Sensing Ltd | Mass-production of point-of-care diagnostics for COVID19 and blood based biomarkers – Phase 1: Testing the biology | $110,000 |
| Digital Sensing Ltd | Mass-production of Point-of-Care Diagnostics for COVID19 and Blood Based Biomarkers - Phase 2 and 3 | $3,270,000 |
| Douglas Pharmaceuticals Limited | To evaluate whether hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) reduces the risk to frontline healthcare workers (HCW) of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection | $600,000 |
| Dyno Ltd | Sanitising conveyor for dispatching and receiving large throughput of packages, parcels and goods | $85,000 |
| Elbaware | Haptic technology to reduce face-touching and risk of COVID-19 transmission | $200,000 |
| ES Plastics Ltd | Mechanical ventilator development ready for manufacture of 100 units per day | $457,000 |
| Healthcare Applications Ltd | Building upon current Emergency Q platform to empower essential workers and community, digitise COVID testing centre bookings, and reduce infection risk to St John frontline staff | $676,000 |
| Inhibit Coatings Ltd | Long life antiviral and antimicrobial coatings to prevent transmission from touch surfaces in high-risk environments | $350,000 |
| Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR) | SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: Risks to public health and opportunities for the surveillance of COVID-19 | $2,152,859 |
| Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR) | A simple and rapid field-deployable molecular diagnostic for COVID-19 | $485,000 |
| Kode Biotech Ltd | Kode technology SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening diagnostic (CoV2-kodecytes) | $276,000 |
| Lanaco | Building an indigenous NZ-made filter media supply chain to guarantee current and future PPE supply | $500,000 |
| Lincoln Agritech | Deconstructed wool PPE masks and filtration components for local supply chain, high efficiency virus protection | $290,000 |
| Massey University | Updating the psychosocial response and recovery framework for Aotearoa New Zealand in a COVID-19 context | $126,000 |
| Massey University | Dipstick assay for direct detection of CoVID-19 (antigen) using novel antibodies and biological nanorods | $280,321 |
| NZ Winegrowers Research Centre Ltd (T/A Bragato Research Institute) | Efficient ethanol-based hand sanitizer production from wine industry grape marc waste | $84,700 |
| Orion Health | National algorithm management solution for COVID-19 | $828,000 |
| Pictor Ltd | Development of a multiplex immunoassay for detection of COVID-19 infection in less than an hour. | $500,000 |
| Revolution Fibres | Concurrent Scale-up and Development of Nano-fibre membranes suitable for N95 and N97 face mask manufacture | $900,000 |
| Rhondium Ltd | Anti-Viral Aerosol Protection System for Dental and Medical Personnel | $425,000 |
| Safer City Group Ltd (T/A Safercities) | COVID 19 SaferCities modules (& standalone applications) to assist Police with ‘movement tracking’ and ‘safer enforcement’ of COIVID19 breaches | $97,390 |
| SaferMe Limited | Business focused COVID-19 management solutions | $396,000 |
| Sagen Software Ltd | Using geofence technology & analytics to manage COVID-19 on Construction Sites | $549,000 |
| Sonasafe 20/20 Limited | Enhancement of Sonasafe Proximity Monitoring to support people flow and COVID-19 tracking | $274,900 |
| South Pacific Sera Limited | Therapeutic antibodies against SAR-CoV-2 for the treatment of Covid-19 | $1,130,000 |
| Spritely Ltd | Covid-19 Automated Rapid Response Product. Can comprehensive daily screening, help retirement villages contain Covid-19 outbreaks? | $57,600 |
| Sportsground Ltd | Community sport COVID-19 management solution | $205,400 |
| The Cacophony Project Ltd | Te Kahu Ora "The cloak of health" - the FeverScreen solution utilises thermal cameras to screen for individuals with a fever in a non-contact, non-invasive way | $914,500 |
| Think Ladder Limited | TLR3 - Covid-19 psychosocial and mental wellbeing support tools | $250,000 |
| Trinity Bioactives Ltd | Development of novel lateral flow devices for the rapid detection of Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) Infection | $650,000 |
| Ubiquitome Limited | Enabling and maintaining a COVID-19 free New Zealand with rapidly deployable, community-level SARS-COV2 testing | $528,927 |
| University of Auckland | Improving New Zealand's epidemic model to inform policy and decision-making for our shared futures | $4,095,000 |
| University of Auckland | Development, assessment and roll-out of antibody-based assays for COVID-19 | $461,987 |
| University of Auckland | Personal protective equipment (PPE) disinfection and potential reuse in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. | $1,312,524 |
| University of Auckland | Supporting youth mental health with a dynamic chatbot – addressing evolving needs | $487,598 |
| University of Auckland | Current and future primary care country-level pandemic preparedness and response in NZ | $148,742 |
| University of Auckland | Low cost non-invasive lung imaging system for continuous patient monitoring during mechanical ventilation | $495,000 |
| University of Auckland | An innovative remote body temperature monitoring solution to reduce the spread of COVID-19 | $264,124 |
| University of Canterbury | Infection risk model of airborne transmission to facilitate decisions about PPE, ventilation and isolation in shared indoor spaces | $513,022 |
| University of Canterbury | Safely and effectively doubling ventilator capacity – a rapid, and highly necessary technology solution to save multiple lives | $150,352 |
| University of Otago | Genomic epidemiology and evolution of COVID-19 in New Zealand | $600,000 |
| University of Otago | Novel COVID19 and antibody assays | $968,973 |
| Victoria Link Limited (T/A Wellington UniVentures) | Tackling New Zealand's need for rapid access to anti-viral medication for the treatment of COVID-19 | $920,726 |
| Xerra Earth Observation Institute Limited | A maritime tracking and risk analysis platform to enhance border security against COVID-19 | $850,000 |
| Zoom Tech Limited | Nasal Swab to secure DNA/RNA samples for detection of mucus/saliva based illnesses | $700,000 |
Note: Bridging funding to let work commence until a national vaccine strategy is in place.
For more information
Read the COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund Fact Sheet [PDF, 126 KB]
Last updated: 11 June 2021