Hon Dr Michael Cullen
Minister for Tertiary Education

22 June 2006 Media Statement

Funding for Centres of Research Excellence

The success of Centres of Research Excellence (CoREs) has encouraged the government to confirm support for centres beyond 2008, Minister for Tertiary Education, Michael Cullen, said today.

The announcement coincided with Dr Cullen's visit to the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at the Victoria University of Wellington.

The institute is one of seven CoREs established by the government in 2001 to produce world-class research that is focused on New Zealand’s future development.

Each centre has a number of partners, including other universities, Crown Research Institutes, wananga and private research groups. The existing centres, hosted by Massey, Auckland, Victoria and Lincoln universities centres, have been awarded funding until 2008.

“I’m sure all of the current CoREs, along with those interested in establishing new research centres, will be pleased to know that a contestable selection round for funding after 2008 will be held later this year,” Dr Cullen said.

“If the MacDiarmid Institute is indicative of the quality of research being conducted by CoREs, there is some excellent work being carried out.”

A mid-term review was carried out by the Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Commission last year to assess the CoREs’ performance and decide whether they should continue to receive funding. The review found that all CoREs were performing well.

“It is extremely heartening to see that overall, the centres are achieving what they set out to do, which is why we decided on another funding round.

“Each of the seven centres is conducting ground-breaking research and making a significant contribution to New Zealand’s national goals. They also help and support our developing industries, which, in return, has a positive impact on the economy,” Dr Cullen concluded.

For further information on each of the CoREs: www.tec.govt.nz.

ENDS

© Scoop Media