Science Media Centre

The Government is looking at merging Crown Research Institutes in a attempt to cut costs and increase efficiency. Writing for the Press, Vernon Small covered the response from scientists. An excerpt (read in full here): Scientists have attacked suggestions the eight Crown research institutes could be merged into as few as three super-CRIs as “a [...]

Neal Wallace writes in the Otago Daily Times about comments by a former science leader that the current science funding system is preventing science research being passed on to farmers. He also criticised the propensity for CRIs to enter into commercial alliances, saying it, too, harmed technology transfer. An excerpt: (read in full here) “Jock [...]

An editorial in The Press discusses the recently-released report from the CRI taskforce, which has said that major reforms to the CRIS are necessary if they are to live up to their potential. It also makes clear, however, that the final decision will be the government’s, and calls on government to accept the taskforce’s recommendations. [...]

The CRI Taskforce released its report to Government today, finding that CRIs were overly burdened by bureaucracy, a short-term focus and funding problems. The report said that no changes needed to be made to the number of CRIs, but instead to their service delivery. An excerpt: (read in full here) “Research, Science and Techonology Minister [...]

Leading scientists examine GM issue As part of a Science Media Centre briefing for journalists to be held on Tuesday, Agresearch chief scientist Steven Goldson will lead a panel of experts looking at the potential benefits and risks of introducing genetically modified pasture crops in New Zealand. The Royal Society has prepared a paper on [...]

An editorial in the Nelson Mail talks about the importance of science to New Zealand, the challenges being faced by scientists working in the system, and the imminent results of the CRI taskforce review. An excerpt: (read in full here) “Yet the scientific community is frustrated and demoralised by the existing framework, set up in [...]

Research, Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp has announced that the country’s Crown Research Institutes are going to be intensively reviewed. A “high-powered taskforce” will be employed to find out whether the CRIs are their purpose. An excerpt: (read in full here) “Dr Mapp said they were a crucial part of New Zealand’s research sector. [...]

Dominion Post writer Jon Morgan on the financial returns required of publicly-funded scientific institutions. Read in full here. An excerpt: “…how can you calculate a payback on animal welfare research? In a strictly financial sense, the research is valueless until an export market says, ‘We don’t like your animal welfare standards’, and then the economic [...]

HortResearch and Crop & Food, two of New Zealand’s nine Crown Research Institutes are investigating a possible merger. Both organisations work closely with a range of sectors including the horticulture, food and seafood industries, and have complementary areas of expertise. A final decision will be made by the shareholding Ministers in late September. View press [...]