Science Media Centre

In the latest issue of Idealog Pattrick Smellie takes a critical look at the history and current state of Callaghan Innovation. An excerpt (read in full here): Good luck, Callaghan Innovation. You’ll need it The idea behind Callaghan Innovation is good but the way it has burst forth has been slow, bureaucratic, and  politically compromised. According […]

The government has released some of the details regarding the planned Advanced Technology Institute, which aims to bring innovative ideas to market faster. The  Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) was first suggested in the commissioned independent 2011 report Powering Innovation, and was allocated funding in the 2012 budget. Today’s announcement ends the speculation around what the […]

The possibility of restructuring at NIWA’s Lauder research site has lead to international concern that atmospheric measuring capabilities will be lost to the global research community. The proposed staff cuts at NIWA’s Central Otago Lauder Research Station were made public last week, but have been highlighted today in a news article detailing the reaction from international […]

Uncertainty in the science sector and a lack of opportunities for “emerging scientists” are  hurting some young researchers, says a science leader. Continual reforms of  governance of  state science companies and their funding,  changes to science-related government agencies and “the apparent lack of strategic vision from government for the role that science can play in […]

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 […]