New President for Association of CRIs

New President for Association of Crown Research Institutes

Bryce Heard, chief executive of Forest Research, has been elected President of the Association of Crown Research Institutes (ACRI). He succeeds Paul Tocker, chief executive of Crop & Food Research.

Nigel Kirkpatrick, chief executive of Industrial Research Limited, becomes Vice-President.

The nine Crown Research Institutes are, collectively, New Zealand's largest science enterprises. Annual revenues exceed $511 million, generated by 4,000 staff from Invermay to Kaitaia.

Bryce Heard became CEO of Forest Research in July 1997 following 9 years as CEO of Tasman Forestry. As President of the Forest Owners' Association (1989-92), Bryce led involvement in both the port reform process and the NZ Forest Accord. He has been a director of the New Zealand Forest Industry Council since 1989. Bryce was awarded the New Zealand Commemoration Medal in 1990 for services to New Zealand.

Bryce Heard said: "New Zealand's science and technology people have shown that they are often world class. Those of us in management and in government have to make sure scientists have an equally world-class environment in which to thrive and add value to the country.

"We have to identify, encourage and sustain the people and the resources they require for current and future value creation.

"It is a leadership task upon which the future of this nation depends.

"Major science enterprises, such as Crown research institutes, universities and research associations are now beginning to work with each other to address internal market issues and to take on the world.

"ACRI will continue to encourage that collaborative approach. We are committed to working with Ministers, and others in the public and private sectors who want to be part of New Zealand's economic transformation through science.

"Taking on the world, rather than each other, will require some smart thinking from all of us, and a willingness to consider new ways of doing things."

ACRI provides a forum and a voice for the nine Crown research institutes. It enables them to work on common interests with each other and increasingly with others in research and innovation areas.

Notes to editor, and contacts, follow. Notes to Editor ACRI provides a forum for the nine Crown-owned science enterprises, collectively the largest providers of science research in New Zealand.

Crown Research Institutes contribute to the economic, environmental, social and knowledge wealth of New Zealand in diverse ways.

The CRIs undertake blue-sky, applied and commercialised science and technology research for government and private sector markets in New Zealand and abroad.

In addition to creating public benefits, particularly in the environment, they enable technology transfers to private sector and public organisations, where wealth is multiplied and distributed.

CRIs also provide the essential underlying capability in people, facilities and knowledge for the long term future of science and innovation in this country.

The CRIs are: AgResearch, Crop & Food Research, ESR, Forest Research, GNS, HortResearch, Industrial Research, Landcare Research, NIWA.

The CRIs published a paper Transforming New Zealand Through Science: concepts for a performance-based science system in August 2002. The concepts have the objective of maximising creation of value from New Zealand's scarce resources. See www.acri.cri/views/statements.shtml

© Scoop Media