Founder & Startup Support Programme - Deep Technology Incubator Pilot (RFP)

Overview The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is seeking proposals from external providers to deliver startup support services under the Founder and Startup Support Programme (FSSP) Deep Technology Incubator Pilot (Pilot). This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) listing. About MBIE administers the FSSP, which supports high-potential startups, and engages external providers to deliver startup support services through the programme. Deep-technology ventures are founded on significant scientific or technological advancements and typically face long development timeframes, substantial capital requirements, complex commercialisation pathways, and technical, intellectual property and regulatory risks. These factors can create a gap between early-stage research support and the point at which ventures are able to attract private investment on commercial terms. Purpose MBIE is establishing the Pilot to strengthen support for deep-technology ventures and generate evidence on the effectiveness of different incubation models, to inform future government investment decisions. The Pilot is distinct from the existing Deep Tech Incubator Programme and is a time-limited initiative designed to support the commercialisation of high-potential deep-technology ventures while testing and evaluating different approaches to deep-tech incubation. Scope The scope includes: Sourcing, assessing, selecting and incubating approximately 40 eligible ventures in total across all contracts awarded through this procurement Delivering incubation services designed to help ventures reduce technical and commercial risks Strengthening entrepreneurial capability of supported ventures Supporting ventures to progress towards commercialisation and private investment MBIE is seeking innovative proposals for how incubation services could be delivered, rather than prescribing a single delivery model. Contract Terms and Conditions MBIE expects the Contract to commence in mid-February 2027 The anticipated initial Contract term is one year and four months An option exists to extend the Contract for up to a further one year The potential total term, including the extension option, is two years and four months Tender Briefing MBIE will host an online supplier briefing for this opportunity. Date: Friday, 30 October 2026 Time: 9:30 am Format: Virtual briefing Join: Microsoft Teams link Instructions to Tenderers For further information about the opportunity, requirements and procurement process, please download and review the RFP documents. Enquiries Contact: Karan Kumar Email: MBIEtenders@mbie.govt.nz