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New Zealand’s science funding landscape Katrin Webb
New Zealand’s science funding landscape
Katrin Webb
National Statement of Science Investment
National Statement of Science
InvestmentNSSI – Governments 10 year strategic direction for the science system:
▪ reform of the MBIE contestable funding system, review of CRI core
funding (now SSIF), establishment of Regional Research Institutes
▪ Investment based
▪ Incentivise industry investment into R&D, reduction of
governments high rate of co-funding over time (government
funding to focus on discovery research)
Goal - Raise of BERD to above 1% of GDP
Business Expenditure on R&D; business may receive this money
from elsewhere, incl. government grants i.e. Callaghan
▪ Focus on commercial impact of research and on industry
research activity
NZ lagging behind most other advance economies – return on
investment for NZ (income)
Investigator-led
science:
acquire new
knowledge,
direction of
research is led
by researchers
Government –
primary
investor
Mission-led science: undertaken towards a
particular policy aim or goal; broad public
benefit
Government – co-investor or principal
investor
R&D grantsPGP
Industry-led
science:
applied
research
PGPs
Partnerships
Industry-led science
Funding sources
▪ Endeavour Fund
• Smart Ideas
• Research Programmes
▪ Strategic Science investment Fund (SSIF; old “Core)
▪ National Science Challenges (NSCs)
▪ Catalyst
▪ Research Partnerships
▪ Pre-seed Accelerator Fund (PSAF)
▪ Te Pūnaha Hiringa: Māori Innovation Fund
▪ Indirect – Envirolink (through councils)
▪ Plus other minor funds
▪ http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/science-innovation
▪ SFF - Sustainable Farming Fund
• applied research projects and extension programmes led by
farmers, growers, or foresters
• ‘community of interest’ driven
▪ PGP - Primary Growth Partnership
• joint venture between government and industry, that invests in
long-term innovation programmes to increase the market
success of the primary industries.
▪ Various other funds in the environment & natural resources space,
Climate change etc.
▪ https://www.mpi.govt.nz/funding-and-programmes/
▪ Waste minimisation fund
▪ Freshwater Improvement Fund
▪ Community Environment Fund
▪ http://www.mfe.govt.nz/more/funding
Callaghan Innovation administers more than $140m a year in business
R&D funding through three programmes, designed to help accelerate
innovation by firms in New Zealand:
▪ R&D Growth Grants: designed to increase R&D investment in
businesses with a strong track record for R&D spending in New
Zealand.
▪ R&D Project Grants: designed to support greater investment by
businesses in R&D activities, especially those with less established
R&D programmes.
▪ R&D Student Grants: designed to support New Zealand
undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain and develop their
technical skills in a commercial research environment, while
bringing capability into New Zealand businesses.
▪ https://www.callaghaninnovation.govt.nz/grants
Science Providers
Learnings from Forestry and Scion
Past and Present
From
▪ Many small contracts
▪ Piecemeal
▪ Unsatisfying for both parties
To
▪ Business cases for science - Benefit for industry
▪ Partnership model of developing programmes
▪ Levy model enabled larger amounts of money being invested
▪ FOA Strategy
▪ Improved relationship
Considerations
▪ Encumbrances when publicly funded – MBIE, MPI, MfE etc.
• “Public good” work
• IP
• Check the contracts – variations are possible
• Administrative overheads, reporting, time to get things over the
line
▪ Direct funding to science providers can be easier and more straight
forward, requires more $$ from Industry
▪ Drivers of science providers
www.scionresearch.com
Scion is the trading name of the New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited
Prosperity from trees Mai i te ngahere oranga
