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Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund
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Investment funds
- Commercialisation Partner Network
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Catalyst Fund
- Catalyst Fund Investment Plan 2024-2028
- New Zealand - China Strategic Research Alliance 2026 Call for Proposals
- New Zealand – United States Global Centers 2026 Call for Proposals
- New Zealand – China Strategic Research Alliance 2025 Call for Proposals
- Funded projects
- Catalyst Strategic performance areas and sample key performance indicators
- COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund
- Endeavour Fund
- Envirolink Scheme
- Extreme weather science response
- He whakawhānui i te pāpātanga o Vision Mātauranga – mahere haumi 2023
- Expanding the Impact of Vision Mātauranga – 2023 investment plan
- MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship
- National Science Challenges
- Partnerships
- PreSeed Accelerator Fund
- Science in Society
- Strategic Science Investment Fund
- Regional Research Institutes Initiative
- Who got funded
- Te Tahua Whakakaha o Te Pūnaha Hihiko
- Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund
- He Ara Whakahihiko Capability Fund
- Te Tahua Raukaha o He Ara Whakahihiko 2025
Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund
The government has invested $1.611m (excluding GST) in 2024 to support 14 projects. The Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund supported the objective of He Whenua Hihiri I Te Mahara - A Nation of Curious Minds by supporting projects that help New Zealanders, to learn about and to engage with science and technology.
On this page I tēnei whārangi
No further funding rounds are planned. For more information see news story:
Fund objectives
The Fund supported projects that help New Zealanders to learn about and to engage with science and technology, by:
- Funding education and community outreach initiatives that focus on science and technology.
- Broadening their ability to engage with science and technology.
- Promoting the relevance of science and technology in their lives.
- Supporting them to engage in societal debate about science and technology issues facing the country.
Fund outcomes
To enable:
- New Zealanders to understand the relevance of science and have the ability to use science to make informed decisions.
- Greater interest and uptake of higher education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
- Increased knowledge and visibility of different research methodologies, including kaupapa.
- Māori approaches and Pacific-centred research methods.
- Engagement with Mātauranga Māori as a knowledge system.
- The research, science and innovation system to connect to communities and respond to their needs.
Contact us
For more information, email curiousminds@mbie.govt.nz.
In this section I tēnei wāhanga
Last updated: 20 March 2024