How will polytechs make their resources available to provide new services to business?
Answer
They will get funded on the basis of the services they have provided to firms in the previous month (up to a capped number of hours per project – say 20 hours). Each institution sends one monthly invoice to MBIE for reimbursement. Firms will have to complete a short customer feedback form to make sure the project was satisfactory – no payment without their sign-off. We’ve done this in the past. It’s cheap to run and surprisingly effective. Bigger projects, such as regional or industry initiatives, will be funded via a separate fund, with clear objectives and outcomes and robust evaluation of results.