The High-Value Nutrition (HVN) National Science Challenge Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga will be releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the HVN Contestable Fund in mid-2019.
HVN secured $53.2M funding in 2018 to deliver its Strategic Plan for Tranche 2 (2019 – 2024) and continue its mission to develop high-value foods with validated health benefits to drive economic growth by working in partnership with the New Zealand Food and Beverage (F&B) industry and world-leading researchers in food innovation. HVN has allocated $13.7M to the Contestable Fund in Tranche 2 to be released through a series of contestable rounds commencing in mid-2019. The Contestable Fund will include a range of funding including a suite of research grants ranging from seed and feasibility funding for early stage research to larger and longer term project and programme grants for clinical studies of food interventions with established feasibility. The Contestable Fund will also include targeted funding to develop the food innovation capacity of Māori F&B and emerging F&B industries.
“One of the key lessons from Tranche 1 was HVN needs to provide a range of funding options for our F&B industry partners, particularly for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and emerging F&B industries that may not currently have the capacity to develop, co-fund and effectively contest an application for a large programme grant. The formation of the NUKU ki te Puku™ Māori business cluster is a fantastic example of how Māori F&B and emerging F&B industries can rapidly scale their innovation capacity and this is a model that HVN will be actively encouraging throughout Tranche 2. We also recognise we need to offer a flexible application process for new and emerging industries, and this is something we will be incorporating into our funding processes,” Challenge Director Joanne Todd says.
HVN is hosting the Foodomics 2019 conference on April 9-11 at Cordis Hotel in Auckland with Keynote addresses from Professor Rob Knight, Julian Mellentin, Jim Kaput and Nick Talley. Presenters will also include the HVN Chief Scientist Professor Richard Mithen, Challenge Director Joanne Todd and HVN Science Leadership Team. The concurrent session on Day Two of Foodomics 2019 will provide opportunities for attendees to learn more about the Contestable Fund and how research organisations and their F&B industry partners can align their applications to the HVN priority research areas of Metabolic Health, Immune Health, Digestive Health and Infant Health.
Overview of the HVN Contestable Fund *
- RFP for Contestable Fund is to be released in mid-2019 with applications due end June 2019. It will include a range of funding options to provide multiple entry points for F&B industry partners and products that are at different stages of development.
- The Contestable Fund will include targeted grants and flexible application processes for Māori F&B and emerging F&B industries.
- Applicants will need to demonstrate strong alignment to the mission of the Challenge and commitment to working with the HVN Science Leadership Team across the four priority research areas (Metabolic, Digestive, Immune and Infant Health).
- Applicants must also demonstrate integration of Vision Mātauranga into their project and provide evidence of early and meaningful engagement with industry partners, including a commitment to co-fund the project.
* The final format of the Contestable Fund is subject to HVN Board approval.
How can I prepare?
- Review the HVN Strategic Plan for Tranche 2 (2019 – 2024)
- Attend Foodomics 2019 and ask questions about how to align your project to HVN.
- Subscribe to the HVN Newsletter for updates.
- Initiate discussions with industry and research partners about innovative food and beverage research projects that may be eligible for the HVN Contestable Fund.
For more information contact the HVN team at hvn@auckland.ac.nz.
