KEY POINTS:
The Government is planning to announce new scientific research spending in May's budget, which it expects will largely pacify growing resentment among the country's scientists.
Science Minister Pete Hodgson also confirmed to the Herald last night one-third of the Government's major research funding had now moved away from the current "contested funding" model to a "negotiated funding" model.
That change would allow scientists to have more funding certainty and require less of their time spent bidding for available funding.
Funding increases to be announced in the upcoming budget would be "admittedly smaller" than the $700 million agriculture research injection announced this month, but would prove that increase did not come at the detriment of other research areas, he said.
His admissions came after the New Zealand Scientists Association contacted the Herald yesterday, claiming deep-rooted problems were crippling the country's research environment.
Association president Kathryn McGrath reiterated recent reports in the Herald of poor science funding driving away research.
However, the problems in New Zealand science went deeper than funding shortages, Associate Professor McGrath said.
There were "fundamental shortcomings" contributing to burnout in scientists and inflaming the brain-drain, she said, including the negative aspects of competition between institutions "within a national population no bigger than that of many overseas cities".
"This is in contrast to the natural desire of most scientists to work collaboratively to produce the best science for New Zealand," she said.
New Zealand's model for multi-year funding contracts was also attacked.
Rising costs in infrastructure, equipment, consumables and salaries were not met by the funding model as it neglected to include any inflation adjustments, effectively reducing funding _ and consequently available staffing hours _ each year, she said.
Career insecurity was stifling research, with scientists' jobs "artificially partitioned into small pieces, each part requiring irregularly timed re-bidding" to sustain funding.
"Many of our top scientists are thus sidetracked into repetitive and competitive bidding for funds instead of leading and motivating highly productive research teams."
Mr Hodgson last night accepted New Zealand's scientific research system was "a little too competitive".
He agreed scientists should not be spending large parts of their time bidding for funding.
"That is why we have moved, in a variety of areas, to stabilise funding."
