Background
The NZAGRC operates a competitive Innovation Fund for researchers working on solutions for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. The first funding round took place in 2020 and a second round is open now, closing 9am Tuesday 13 April 2021.
2021 Innovation Fund round: OPEN
Focus
The NZAGRC Innovation Fund seeks Expressions Of Interest (EOIs) that address the following research area:

Reduction of methane and/or nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural activities in New Zealand.

Successful applications must develop novel approaches and/or significantly strengthen current research avenues that show major promise for bringing practical, farm-level solutions closer to on-farm implementation.
Features

A total of $4 million (NZD) is available.
Individual projects will have a maximum value of $800,000 and a maximum duration of 2 years, starting 1 July 2021.
Applications are invited from New Zealand based research providers, organisations and companies.
A two-stage process will be followed:

Stage 1: submission of EOIs and shortlisting by a Technical Assessment Panel (TAP)
NZAGRC staff work with approved shortlisted applicants to develop contract-ready research proposals.


The specially constituted TAP will evaluate EOIs and make recommendations to the NZAGRC Director on which projects should move to Stage 2. The NZAGRC Director will decide which projects move to Stage 2, taking the TAP recommendations into account along with the existing NZAGRC funding portfolio and broader New Zealand funding landscape.
Research projects should be conducted in a manner that ensures the widest possible benefit to New Zealand. Therefore, unless there are strong reasons to protect Intellectual Property, it should be made publicly and freely available.
Co-funding is strongly encouraged for all applications, and applications involving industry should have significant co-funding.

Key dates




 Date
Activity 


 16 March
Round opens 


 13 April
EOIs close, 9am 


 26-30 April
Technical Assessment Panel meets 


 7 May
NZAGRC notifies applicants of outcomes and works with short-listed applicants to develop a detailed, contract-ready research proposal 


 30 May
Successfully negotiated proposals submitted to NZAGRC Governance Group for funding approval 


 1 July
 Contracting complete; projects commence



 
Key documents
Download the 2021 Innovation Fund guidelines here:  NZAGRC 2021 Innovation Fund Guidelines (1.83MB)
Download the Innovation Fund Expression Of Interest form here:  2021 Innovation Fund EOI form (0.26MB) 
 
2020 Innovation Fund round
The first round of the NZAGRC Innovation Fund opened in July 2020, with $2 million available for projects from New Zealand-based research providers, organisations and companies. Proposals were sought for projects, up to two-years in duration, that addressed one or both of the following research areas: 

Reducing methane emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminants
Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from ruminant animal deposited urine patches

As with the second round, proposals had to significantly strengthen current research avenues and/or develop novel approaches that show major promise for bringing practical, farm-level solutions closer to on-farm implementation.
Four projects were selected, worth a total of $1.72 million:

Targeting methanol formation for methane, led by AgResearch
Molecular tools for methane mitigation, led by the University of Auckland
Inhibiting ruminal methane using bromoform, led by AgResearch
On-farm delivery of methane inhibitors, led by DairyNZ