By PAUL YANDALL
The brain drain struck New Zealand with a vengeance yesterday, stealing six of the country's finest minds from Waikato University's science department.
Professor Nigel Sannes has resigned as head of the materials and processing engineering department after being headhunted to America - and he is taking his five PhD students with him.
The professor has been conducting ground-breaking fuel cell research at the university since migrating to New Zealand in 1991. His research team, partly financed by the Government to the tune of $250,000 a year, has been trying to perfect a new "clean and green" battery for industry.
Now that expertise will be put to use by what Professor Sannes described as a "multibillion-dollar multinational American company." He would not disclose who that Massachusetts-based company was.
"Our leaving is going to kill fuel cell research here. It's a harsh thing to say but it's true. It's such a shame."
Fuel cells operate like a battery but are seen as a clean, efficient energy source because they produce only water and heat as byproducts. Car makers in particular are at the forefront of their development.
"There's a massive rush around the world to get this product out. Unfortunately, it's Europe and America where the work's being done."
Professor Sannes said New Zealand would continue to lose its academics and postgraduate students overseas until the Government and industry began working together to promote university research.
A member of Professor Sannes' research team, Michael Brown, said his $40,000-plus student-loan debt was all the encouragement he needed to take a job overseas.
"For me, with a large student loan, there's more money for me overseas. My main goal at the moment is to pay off my student loan."
The dean of the university's science and technology department, Professor Richard Price, said the loss of Professor Sannes and his students was a blow for the country.
"There's a lot of talk about the brain drain but it really is true. Because of the way science is funded in this country we really struggle to keep researchers here."
He said the reforms of the past decade had been particularly hard on university researchers, who were now forced to scramble for funding.
New Education Minister Trevor Mallard said he was keen to build stronger relationships between universities, industry and the crown research institutes.
"We've got slightly above-average state- sector investment compared to other OECD countries, but the problem is the very low industry investment. And that's because we have the worst tax treatment for industry."
He said the Government would look at the issue of tax breaks for companies that invest in research and development.
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