Editorial: Helping scientists

Results of a survey released yesterday show how important the Government's review of the eight Crown research institutes is to New Zealand's future.

As obscure as it is to most people's lives, scientific research is a vital part of maintaining this country's economic performance and creating opportunities for improvement and growth.

Yet the scientific community is frustrated and demoralised by the existing framework, set up in 1992 to replace the previous state research institutions and put science on to a more businesslike footing.

The result has been a level of contestability that promotes fierce competition for funding, discourages collaboration and disappoints scientists who spend much of their time writing proposals that won't be approved.

Red tape gets in the way of scientific progress and a requirement to return a 9 per cent dividend forces institutes into work that might be detrimental to New Zealand, such as AgResearch helping Chile to prepare a pastoral export strategy that could be used against this country's producers.

Clearly no government can keep throwing large sums at scientists in the hope that they will use it to good effect.

There must be a sufficient level of accountability to ensure that taxpayers' money is not squandered on fanciful projects and journeys up blind alleys – even if they sometimes produce startling outcomes.

But our scientists are good at what they do and if they are to deliver the results required by industry and business, they need encouragement and support, not road blocks and diversions.

The main message emerging from the science community is that there is too much contestability and not enough co-operation.

The battle against other institutions for funding, and the requirement to produce a dividend, no matter what, both work against the potential for the advances that will help the country prosper.

If that is what the review taskforce reports back to Research, Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp next week, along with some recommendations to fix these deficiencies, the scientists ought to be able to get back on track.