R&D Student Grants, delivered through Callaghan Innovation, are a great way to gain access to the latest thinking and provide the next gen of clever thinkers an opportunity to get their hands dirty.

For eligible businesses, there are three types of grants available:

• Experience (10-week summer internship)
• Fellowship (PhD or masters’ research solving a business-led problem)
• Career (Postgraduates’ first step into industry).

Chamber member Oasis Engineering was a successful applicant of an Experience Grant in 2020.

Oasis Engineering is a specialist high precision manufacturer based in Tauranga. The Oasis product range covers a full suite of products for various markets (including compressed natural gas (CNG), food and dairy). Its products are exported to more than 40 countries and are used by all the major CNG companies for use as a vehicle fuel.

Hadyn Natusch, Product Development Team Manager at Oasis, says the business seeks to bring in an intern each year as a way to give back to the engineering industry.

“We see it as a great way to help a student to develop their own skillset early on, as well as helping Oasis to focus on projects that we struggle to resource.”

In 2020, they took on Nicholas Edwards, a third-year Bachelor in Engineering student (specialising in mechatronics). He had undertaken papers during the year around fluid dynamics and flow, which were great as a lead into his project with Oasis.

“He was tasked with the design and build of a flow test rig for flow testing our CNG equipment,” says Hadyn. “We pride ourselves on producing some of the highest flow equipment for CNG fuelling systems in the world and for this the ability to be able to accurately measure and record flow is a major benefit.

Nicholas says his time at Oasis taught him a variety of new skills, including communication and time management, as well as various technical skills for his career. He adds that it was hugely rewarding watching his project come together after weeks of planning and preparation.

“Knowing my project was actually going to be used for an important purpose was a great highlight. Getting to know the others working at Oasis was also a highlight for me. Everyone was super friendly, always cracking jokes and always ready to lend a hand, which made my experience super enjoyable.”

Hadyn echoes this sentiment: “He fitted into our team seamlessly and was able to get into his project quickly. He was eager to learn, and took on board information and feedback to make improvements in the way he worked as he went.”

Nicholas has since headed back to University, with a view to work towards a masters degree.

For any business thinking about applying for a student grant, Hadyn highly recommends it, as it is a great way to test your processes and upskill your staff through teaching.

“Year-on-year I see my team members reinforce their knowledge by being able to teach the students. It is also a great way to tick off projects that you sometimes are unable to resource throughout the year, but are still important to complete.”

His advice for potential applicants:

• Don’t be afraid to get in and apply – read the application to get an understanding of what is required. The Callaghan Innovation staff are great at helping with the process, and make it easy to understand and do.
• Don’t procrastinate. The sooner you get in the more time you have to pick the right student for your project.
• Don’t wing it. Have a good plan for the student and their time with your company. This ensures you and the student get the best out of the experience.

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