From Strength to Strength: Government's Agenda for New Zealand Research, Science and Technology

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From Strength to Strength – Government’s Agenda for New Zealand Research, Science and Technology (the Agenda) sets the direction for public investment in research, science and technology (RS&T) for the next decade.

Download the 6-page summary [135KB, PDF]

With a strong focus on innovation, this document lays out a strategy to ensure RS&T contributes effectively to our social, economic and environmental needs and aspirations. 

The document identifies areas for change and addresses four key challenges:

  • to sustain our science base
  • to focus new science
  • to propel business R&D
  • to connect New Zealanders with science. 

For researchers and those managing research, the Agenda will help plan further ahead and strengthen partnerships with other research teams and the business community.

The Agenda was developed by the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology with input from research organisations, government agencies and business. Details of the consultation process 

Related documents

Below is an excerpt. For the full document please download the file above.

Contents

  • Minister’s Foreword
  • Summary
  • Strengths for our future
  • Investment
  • Challenges
  • 0.1 Sustain our science base
  • 0.2 Focus new science
  • 0.3 Propel business R&D
  • 0.4 Connect new zealanders with science
  • Implementation and measuring progress
  • Annex 1: Strategies, funds and policy initiatives
  • Annex 2: Glossary of acronyms
  • Annex 3: Investment objectives

Minister's Foreword

Government is taking purposeful action to realise New Zealand’s innovation potential.  Our economic, tertiary education and research, science and technology (RS&T) agencies have been aligned under one ministerial portfolio and there have been significant new investment commitments, for example to pastoral and food innovation, through New Zealand Fast Forward, and an R&D tax credit for business.  Budget 2008 commits a further $205 million over four years for RS&T. 

These measures recognise that innovation is an imperative for New Zealand and that RS&T has a vital role to play — essential for helping us to adapt to global challenges, such as moving to a low-carbon economy, as well as finding solutions to our own challenges, whether that be reducing pastoral emissions or helping to fight diabetes. 

This Agenda charts how RS&T will support innovation for New Zealand.  It sets clear directions for RS&T activity, recognising that success rests firmly on the talent, the creativity and the determination of our scientists and researchers.

There are many successes we can already celebrate.  Our researchers have developed bodies of knowledge with world-wide influence through, for example, our long-term studies of child health and our sequencing of the sheep genome.  New Zealand technologists and engineers have also been part of some outstanding innovations: electric fencing, golden kiwifruit, the Hamilton jet boat, straight-from-the-refrigerator spreadable butter, and 3D sports-graphics systems.  Our research activities have also supported our sense of identity with New Zealand, a place of diverse peoples and adventurous discovery.

The Agenda outlines government’s commitment to support and build on these strengths.  It underlines the importance of our core science capability and shows how this will be supported through more stable funding and ensuring strategic and national capabilities are better assured.  Sharpening the focus of the nation’s research effort will also help ensure RS&T can deliver in its increasingly complex and changing environment.

This Agenda builds on earlier strategies and has an outlook to 2020.  By laying out the path for government support, it enables research organisations to plan further ahead and strengthen connections between the wider research sector and the business community. 

In order for this document to have meaningful impact it needs a broad ownership.  It needs research organisations working with business and alongside government to help achieve the vision of a science-based future.  I look forward to working with you.

Pete Hodgson, Minister of Research, Science and Technology

Summary

New Zealand RS&T has made invaluable contributions to our understanding of the world around us, and to our current prosperity and wellbeing. 

Government is acting to strengthen New Zealand’s science base, to target and coordinate science resources towards important outcomes, to build R&D capability in business, and to connect New Zealanders more closely with science. 

Transformational RS&T (TRST) opportunities have been confirmed in the areas of:

  • high-tech platforms
  • future foods
  • innovation in health delivery
  • environmental sensing for real-time resource management
  • making renewable energy work for New Zealand, and
  • transformational cities and towns. 

TRST areas were identified through input from researchers and government and reinforced in the consultation on this Agenda.  They will support Government’s innovation priorities.

New investment commitments have been confirmed for 2008/12 in Budget 2008.   For Vote RS&T, a further $205 million will be invested over the next four years: for 2008/09, this will be an additional $44 million and the Government’s operating investment through Vote RS&T will be $725.7 million.  

New investment is prioritised toward safeguarding a science capability to support existing sectors and core areas of national importance, such as hazard response, land and water management, primary industries, public health, and biosecurity.  Investment in TRST opportunities is second priority but new funds for ‘high-tech platforms’ and ‘making renewable energy work for New Zealand’ have been confirmed for 2008/12. 

Business- and industry-led R&D will be strengthened through a new tax credit and public-private research partnerships, such as the New Zealand Fast Forward initiative.

This Agenda represents government’s expectations of and commitment to New Zealand RS&T.  It is a response to calls from research organisations and scientists for clarity about government directions for publicly-funded science.  It will support long-term planning and enable more confident collaboration. 

An overview of the Agenda and the key changes it signals follow. 

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Page updated 09 Feb 2009