Her assessment that 55% of AgResearch funding is commercial and therefore research effort and results will be captured only by industry is factually wrong (much of what is defined as "commercial revenue" is work for or via government agencies) and simplistic.
We work closely with the agriculture sector to identify the innovation that's needed and deliver science to improve the prosperity of the sector. In most cases, our sector partners co-invest in the science and then play the lead role in taking it out onto farms and into businesses, where it delivers better outcomes for the New Zealand economy and benefits all NZers.
Over time, science and sector needs and opportunities change. AgResearch is growing areas of emerging opportunities where we can create more impact for NZ and we have scaled back some areas of science where needs and the potential for impact has declined.
This scaling back includes some aspects of greenhouse gas research, where we are now focusing more strongly on proof-of-concept research for mitigation technologies. This has been an agreed shift with all of the investors in this area.
We still have one of the largest and best rumen microbiology teams in the world to both undertake this work and discover new approaches to address NZ's most challenging greenhouse gas issue.
We have focused our plant genetics work more firmly on longer term science. In doing so, we have scaled back some of our applied plant breeding work by transferring some of that applied capability to industry, in line with sector needs and with the strong support of our stakeholders. So this technical capability has not been lost to the sector or NZ and has enabled us to increase the level of innovation in this area which underpins our pastoral sector.
Finally, Professor Rowarth is critical of the concept of innovation hubs. Increasingly, both here and overseas, collaboration and physical co-location to assemble the best science teams and tackle big issues is attracting the top talent and delivering the most innovative solutions. To this end, AgResearch's campus redevelopment programme will provide great working environments and facilities for our science teams, and will support co-location and collaboration with research and commercial partners and stakeholders to drive science innovation.
• Dr Tom Richardson, Chief Executive, AgResearch
- AgResearch
- Tom Richardson
