2026 Innovation Investment Round

FOCUS FOR 2026

The AgEC and AgriZeroNZ welcome applications that are seeking to develop novel approaches, and / or significantly strengthen or accelerate current approaches that show major promise for bringing practical, farm-level solutions closer to implementation within a timely manner for New Zealand farmers and growers. As part of this round, ideas are welcomed that seek to overcome barriers to the development, measurement, or delivery of agricultural GHG emissions reduction solutions (this could range from basic science to application of advanced technologies, such as A.I., or include tech transfer from other disciplines).

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are sought for projects that address the following research challenges:

1. Automatic identification of urine patches
2. Novel low emissions nitrogen fertilizers
3. Better prediction of in-vivo outcomes from in-vitro methodology
4. Dietary manipulations with a focus on pasture to reduce agricultural GHG emissions

If your idea doesn’t fit into one of the above challenges, we are still interested in submissions if they address:

5. New/improved approaches to reducing nitrous oxide emissions from ruminant animal deposited urine and/or reducing methane emissions from enteric fermentation that can rapidly bring about a step-change in emissions at scale in grazing ruminants

See Appendix A for further information about the research challenges.

Features of the 2026 Investment Round

For this round, we are trialling a new way of attracting ideas. If you have an idea, but don’t have a full team together, you can submit a shorter ‘R&D Idea’ proposal (see below)

R&D FULL PROPOSALS

• NZ$2 million is available for this round. The funding may not be evenly split across the research challenges. The funding split will be determined by the quality of applications.
• Applications are invited from both New Zealand and international organisations and individuals.
• Collaborations are encouraged.
• The applicant must have a research team in place which is able to conduct the project once contracting has been completed.
• Individual projects have a maximum duration of two years.

This is a two stage process - details in the full guidelines.

R&D IDEA PROPOSALS

• Up to NZ$50k per project is available for this round (through the AgEC). Up to four projects will be funded in this round, determined by the quality of applications.
• Applications are invited from both New Zealand and international organisations and individuals.
• The applicant can submit an idea without a full team in place.
• Individual projects have a maximum duration of six months.
• The purpose of this funding is to progress and develop ideas to determine feasibility. This could be in the form of access to scientific expertise, building skills and capability, trial design etc. It is envisaged that these projects, if successful, will allow applicants to potentially prepare proposals for additional R&D funding.

This is a two stage process - details in the full guidelines.

2026 Key Dates

For full eligibility criteria, scoring and weighing please download the full guidelines.

Past Rounds

The competitive Innovation Fund has been awarded to multiple successful researchers throughout funding rounds held in 2020, 2021 and 2024. 

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

Four projects were successful in the 2020 round, with funding being awarded to:

• 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

Five projects were successful in the 2021 round, with funding being awarded to:

• On-farm solutions: life-long methane reduction, led by DairyNZ
• Electrocatalytic oxidation of methane, led by Lincoln Agritech
• Targeted on-farm urine patch management, led by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
• Assessment of risks and requirements for safety of livestock supplemented with bromoform, for methane mitigation, led by Ruminant Biotech
• Development of proxy methods for estimating methane emissions from ruminants, led by AgResearch

Two projects were succesful in the 2024 round with funding being awarded to:

• Methane-reducing anti-methanogen peptides and strains (CH₄AMPS), led by AgResearch
• Bacteria as a nitrous oxide mitigation tool, led by Lincoln University