Singapore, Feb. 25 -- Minister Shane Reti,whose portfolios include Science Innovation and Technology, and Universities, chose the Auckland Bioengineering Institute's (ABI) Cloud 9 medtech spin-out hub to launch the New Zealand Government's $20 million applied doctorate scheme.

The scheme will fund up to 30 PhD students a year over five years and will be hosted collaboratively by Auckland, Victoria, Otago and Massey universities. Researchers will spend time working with industry and business, and will gain hands-on experience with essential commercialisation skills like project management and finance.

The applied doctorate scheme, with its focus on collaboration between universities and industry, and on preparing graduate students more b...