Peter Benfell: Science grants all about sustaining development

COMMENT

A Herald editorial criticised the level of Government funding for soil science research, and the funding system used by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. It said a cut in soil-sciences funding would harm the country.

The foundation, the Government's major investor in research and development, invests more than $430 million a year in a diverse range of projects that aim to benefit New Zealand.

We have lately reinvested $57 million a year in research supporting sustainable development - the management of environmental resources in our primary sectors and urban areas so future generations can enjoy a high standard of living.

Soil science research is funded within this portfolio.

Before we sought research proposals in sustainable development, we consulted widely with stakeholders - including researchers, industry and the Government - on research priorities.

The confirmed priorities were: management of water resources, enhancing wealth from land production systems without compromising the environment, understanding the human and social aspects of sustainability and the development of sustainable cities.

The foundation then sought proposals that addressed these priorities. Proposals were assessed against seven criteria that focus on the potential benefits of the research and on its critical success factors.

We used advisory panels of independent experts to make these assessments. The criteria included science merit, the record and capability of the researchers, connections and partnerships with the users of the research (such as industry) and a case made on the benefits that would result from the research.

These benefits can be economic, environmental or social, depending on the nature of the research. The expert panels developed funding recommendations that were then approved by the foundation's board.

Most of the research programmes funded in sustainable development are five or six years long, with funding ranging from $1 million to $3 million a year. This will provide substantial stability for the research teams - much more than they are likely to receive from other investors, including the private sector.

In this investment round, we received applications totalling $146 million a year - almost three times the available funding. The quality of the proposals in most cases was high, so there were proposals that were of very good quality and of importance to New Zealand that we were unable to fund.

Like any investor, we had hard choices to make. The research we have funded is of high quality and is focused on the key issues relating to sustainable development. We are disappointed that some good research could not be funded and we are working on remedying this situation.

We have invested more than $7.4 million a year in soil-science research in programmes that cover key issues such maintaining sustainable production systems, developing improved understanding of nutrient cycling and the impacts of nutrients and other contaminants on soil quality and function. This is substantially more than the $3 million a year quoted by the Herald.

However, there was some important soil-science research that could not be funded in this competitive round in which we have achieved improved collaboration between researchers, and enhanced partnerships with the users of the research.

Increased collaboration was required to ensure the best researchers (from various organisations) are working on major issues. The teams we have funded are of high quality; many are world leaders in their fields.

The Herald questioned the need for research into the sustainable development of urban areas. The level of funding on urban areas has increased by a small proportion, with the increase used to fund research relating to reducing transport carbon dioxide emissions. This has not been at the expense of soil-science research.

I am confident all Aucklanders understand the need for a city to make sensible use of resources so future generations also have a great place to live. To achieve this sustainable development in Auckland and other urban areas requires research.

If New Zealand is to climb back into the top half of the OECD, we must export more value-added products. We must also look after our environmental and social well-being. All of this requires more research and development.

The Government has been increasing its investment in this area and, hopefully, this will continue. A critical issue is increasing the investment from the private sector.

* Peter Benfell, the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology's manager of investment operations, is responding to a Herald editorial that said soil-science funding has fallen victim to fads.