About the Prize

This Prize is for an innovator or team of innovators who have translated scientific knowledge into transformative benefits – for the economy, for society, or for the environment.

Value

• $150,000, comprising
  • $50,000 as an unrestricted award and
  • $100,000 for ongoing research, development, or support for scale and growth of the innovation

Eligibility

• Either the individual applicant or the team representative must be a permanent resident or citizen and be currently domiciled in New Zealand.
• Most of the work towards the innovation must have taken place in New Zealand.

Criteria

Our panel of experts will assess whether each applicant has translated their scientific knowledge and discoveries into a product, service, or process that has delivered substantial transformative impact by solving a real-world problem (or has credible potential to do so).

Applicants should present evidence so that their achievements can be assessed against these criteria:

• proven impact (eg, intellectual property or pending patents, licensing agreements, capital investment, spin-out or start-up ventures, commercial uptake, sales, or adoption – particularly in New Zealand) 
• potential for impact (eg, a clear pathway to adoption or market entry due to novelty or quality of the innovation) 
• excellence and originality (eg, peer-reviewed publications, collaborative research partnerships, or equivalent recognition by scholars) 
• credibility and feasibility of impact (eg, validated prototypes, pilots, regulatory progress, compliance with standards, strategic partnerships, or strong signals of demand). 

Applications must include statements from at least two internationally credible referees.

 

Expert Panel Members

(to be confirmed)

 

 

Potential conflicts of interest

To avoid any perception of a potential conflict of interest with any of the experts who will review applications for this Prize, please advise if you know any of them, and if so, how. Panel members will also be asked whether they know any of the applicants. The Society will consult with the Chair of the Panel to manage and avoid any potential conflicts appropriately (eg, by recommending that a particular expert does not score or discuss a particular candidate).

If you have any questions during the process, please contact the Society. All applicants, referees, and their supporters must agree not to contact any of our Panel Members during the assessment process – and vice versa.

 

Confidentiality

Note that we will interview a shortlist of applicants for the Prize, based on initial scores, but we will not publish or disclose any information on ranking, shortlisted applicants, or the names of unsuccessful entrants.

 

Final announcement of winners

The Society will advise the relevant Minister of the recommendation from the Expert Panel, and will contact the winner confidentially in advance of the public announcement and prizegiving ceremony.

 

---

Need help? Have other questions?

The Secretariat for The Prime Minister’s Science Prizes is the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

For any questions, contact us at:

PO Box 598
Wellington
(04) 470 5762
pmspaceprizes@royalsociety.org.nz

 

Supported by the New Zealand Government with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.