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Budget 2011: The science sector responds
Budget 2011: The science sector responds
19 May 2011
Bill English unveiled the Budget for
2011-12 this afternoon and signalled a small reduction in
science funding overall, with decreases in funding of
genomics research and science infrastructure largely offset
by funding being shifted into other areas.
Overall, core science and innovation funding
will drop $10 million to $773.7 million in the next
financial year.
Reprioritized funding has focused on two new areas:
- $24 million
over four years for business R&D and commercialisation.
- $12 million over four years for earthquake research to
help rebuild Christchurch. An additional $2 million has
already been committed from the 2010/11 financial year as an
immediate response to the earthquake.
Data
visualisation specialist Keith Ng has created an infographic
comparing Budget category spending year on year including in
science and innovation. It is available here.
Professor Sir Paul Callaghan delivered a
speech in Wellington this morning just prior to the Budget
and looked at the role science and innovation can play in
boosting New Zealand's prosperity. The audio of that
presentation is available here.
The SMC is
gathering reaction to the Budget from key figures in the
science sector. Further comments will be issued in an update
later this afternoon.
Professor Shaun
Hendy, Deputy Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for
Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology,
comments:
"Although
relative to other areas of budget expenditure, Vote RS&T has
not been cut severely, it is important to realise that New
Zealand has grossly under-invested in research spending for
decades. In the 1990s,
"Finland responded to a much larger economic crisis than that New Zealand currently faces by investing heavily in science and technology. This investment saw them climb back to the top of the OECD ladder in just a decade.
"These days developed countries
need to invest heavily in science and technology just to
stand still, so if New Zealand is to halt its plummet
through the OECD rankings it needs more than just
static
government investment in this sector. It is also
disappointing to see a cut in research infrastucture
spending - the sector has identified investment in
infrastructure as a priority for getting best value
for
our current R&D dollar. Cuts to R&D infrastructure
spending will have long term consequences for the
international competitiveness and effectiveness of our RS&T
sector."
Anthony Scott, Chief Executive of Science New Zealand comments:
"The Government is showing its faith in the new-look Crown Research Institutes by providing, for the first time, a guaranteed sum for each CRI. Collectively the 8 CRIs will get $215 million (excluding GST) as 'Core Funding'. This is almost a third of the total CRI revenue in the last financial year ($690M), although the percentage will vary from CRI to CRI.
"The money comes from amalgamating some contracts repeatedly won by the CRI over many years in particular science areas. Not all such contracts have been transferred, as enough has to remain for contest amongst all research providers.
"While not new money, it is a significant step which will maximise the value that New Zealand gets from its science investment. Having a reasonable sum of money enables a CRI to plan research programmes with confidence alongside its key stakeholders.
"It follows from the 2010 CRI Taskforce which clarified the purpose and role for each CRI. It recognised that while CRIs have an information advantage over central funders on both science and sector knowledge, they were being held back by cumbersome and time-consuming competitive processes. Smarter, faster decisions and closer, more flexible sector engagement was required.
"CRI Boards will be fully accountable for progress towards agreed purposes and outcomes.
"In addition, CRIs are working together and with other research organisations to actively identify areas where effectiveness and efficiency can be improved. This includes shared use of science research facilities, complementary and aligned research programmes and reducing back-office costs. The aim is to create the best science teams and outcomes for New Zealand.
"Budget 2011 delivers science research funding through Votes such as Health and Education as well as Science & Innovation. In difficult times, it is reassuring to see that investment is sustained in these key platforms for economic and environmental prosperity."
Dr Peter Dearden,
Director of Genetics Otago, Laboratory for Evolution and
Development,
National Research Centre for Growth
and Development, University of Otago comments:
"The budget clearly comes at a difficult time, and at
such a difficult time it was always hard to envision major
increases in funding for science and innovation, even though
personally I think it is important to invest to maintain and
extend innovation.
"Overall the funding for science has
not been too badly affected by this budget, but one item
stands out for me. The loss of funding for genomics
infrastructure is a blow to biological research in
the
country as this funding would have allowed New
Zealand to catch up with biological research in the rest of
the world.
"Genomics is such a key part of modern
biological research that this will have far reaching impacts
on biological research in the country. Biology underlies so
much of what we sell in overseas markets that I can't help
but hope that this cut might be redressed in budgets in the
near
future."
ends
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