ACT is welcoming a renewed economic focus for the science and innovation sector, including the abolition of Callaghan Innovation.

“ACT has long advocated for abolishing Callaghan Innovation, which effectively gambled with taxpayer money and was responsible for a litany of failed investments in ventures that delivered little more a than a few photo-ops for politicians,” says ACT Science and Innovation spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

Functions of Callaghan Innovation will now be either disestablished or folded into other parts of the government, with ‘an increased focus on economic outcomes’.

“ACT expects that any ongoing innovation grants will be closely monitored for performance,” says Dr Parmar. “In fact, we say that if a scientific venture has an obvious commercial application, it should not be supported by the taxpayer and instead seek investment from the private sector.

“ACT also welcomes moves to bolster intellectual property so scientists reap more of the proceeds of their own research. A property rights framework is the best way to celebrate our brightest scientists while incentivising them to pursue high-value research that grows the economy.

“The merger of underperforming Crown Research Institutes is a good move, as in some cases there was wasteful duplication of activity. Having taxpayers own both Metservice and NIWA, which competed against each other, was absurd.

“A more complex challenge will be to ensure the new Public Research Organisations collaborate with the private sector. Private businesses should feel free to approach these organisations for assistance with innovation, without having to fear their ideas will be taken by what is in some ways a taxpayer-funded competitor.”

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