Joyce flags extra $410.5m for science research
The new funding is expected to push up cross-government spending on science and innovation to $1.6 billion a year by 2019/20.
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Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced an extra $410.5 million to fund science projects over the next four years in today's budget.
The new funding is expected to push up cross-government spending on science and innovation to $1.6 billion a year by 2019/20, and is part of Mr Joyce's drive to grow business investment in research and development to more than 1% of the economy.
The biggest beneficiary of the new funds is the Endeavour Fund, which wins $113.8 million over the period. The fund replaced the Ministry of Business' contestable fund and has been tilted to long-term, high impact, mission-led programmes. A further $66 million has been earmarked for the Marsden Fund and $63 million for the Strategic Science Investment Fund, which provides a mechanism to start, monitor and contrast different initiatives.
"Innovative New Zealand is a major step towards delivering on the vision of the national statement of science investment and also supports the Business Growth Agenda, which seeks to grow business investment in R&D to over 1% of GDP (gross domestic product)," Mr Joyce said. "Creating a thriving, independent research sector will have a strong impact on New Zealand's productivity, prosperity and wellbeing."
The funding comes amid grumblings from New Zealand's science community that the government has been too fixated on backing R&D at the commercial end, an accusation Joyce has consistently rejected.
The government will also increase funding to support tertiary education and apprenticeships in science, engineering and agriculture by $256.6 million over the next four years, and provide $94.4 million to support regional economic initiatives.
Those packages include $86.1 million over four years to lift tuition subsidies in science, agriculture, veterinary science, and undergraduate medicine subjects and $40 million to back regional R&D initiatives.
(BusinessDesk)
Paul McBeth
Thu, 26 May 2016
Thu, 26 May 2016
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Joyce flags extra $410.5m for science research
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