7 February 2007

New fund for NZ-EU science exchange programme

The Minister of Research, Science and Technology, Steve Maharey, has announced funding of $150,000 a year to set up a new exchange programme between scientists in New Zealand and the European Union.

“This programme will help strengthen valuable links between European and New Zealand science sectors,” Mr Maharey says.

To further build relations, Steve Maharey is in Brussels today meeting with an intergovernmental organisation, Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), to discuss signing a separate agreement to fund scientific exchanges with European countries.

"Under the proposed agreement which is expected to be signed by 30th June, the Royal Society of New Zealand would grant $50,000 a year for New Zealanders to travel and work in Europe, and COST would fund $48,000 (25,000 euro) to bring European scientists to work in this country.

"These two programmes will create further support for scientific collaboration with the EU, and will give New Zealand the opportunity to get involved in European research and development."

"They are building on a number of existing programmes promoting science cooperation, including the Julius von Haast Fellowship with Germany, and the Dumont d’Urville programme with France.

Mr Maharey is the only minister from a non-European Union country to have been invited to tonight's gala launch of the world's largest publicly funded research and development programme, the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP7).

"I am meeting my European counterparts in Brussels tonight to discuss FP7, which has a budget of $100 billion over the next seven years, and to profile New Zealand research strengths."

ENDS

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