New Zealand needs an independent council to provide a ¡°national strategic focus¡± for its disjointed research efforts, and the country must abandon its ¡°unrealised aspiration of being below average¡± in research spending, according to representative body Universities New Zealand (UNZ).

In a to last year¡¯s?green paper?on the future of the public research system, UNZ has called for a council of ¡°leading researchers and big-picture thinkers¡± to set national research priorities.

The council, modelled on unspecified overseas examples, would advise on ¡°investments over long time horizons¡± rather than allocating individual research grants. But it would oversee spending on research infrastructure and commission research on the sector¡¯s capability, diversity and performance.

It would operate ¡°at arm¡¯s length from the government¡± to sidestep the ¡°vagaries of political cycles¡±, but would nevertheless have mechanisms for ¡°engagement with political decision-making¡±.

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UNZ chief executive Chris Whelan said the proposed body could help ensure that resources were not exhausted on initiatives that were supported by one government only to be ¡°rejected by the next one¡±.

¡°We¡¯re looking for a little bit of stability and a long-term perspective, recognising that it¡¯s taxpayers¡¯ money and ultimately politicians will decide what should or shouldn¡¯t be prioritised,¡± he said.

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The council would oversee a process to ¡°identify and publicise emerging research areas of importance, and regularly update the national research strategy to reflect this new thinking¡±, the submission says.

It says New Zealand research institutions¡¯ ¡°inclination for collaboration¡± is undermined by governance structures and funding settings that encourage them to focus on individual efforts rather than collective priorities.

The council would also have responsibility for prioritising?m¨¡tauranga M¨¡ori, or M¨¡ori knowledge. The new body would take an interest ¡°in all research that advances the wellbeing of M¨¡ori communities¡±.

At the same time, it would be responsible for ¡°dealing in a strategic way¡± with ¡°boundary issues¡± such as ¡°the desirability of integrating M¨¡ori research into more general research programmes¡±.

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M¨¡ori and M¨¡ori knowledge should be ¡°central to a framework for mutually defined success¡±, with a ¡°dedicated fully funded capability operated by M¨¡ori for M¨¡ori communities¡±, the submission says. M¨¡ori should not merely be seen as ¡°stakeholders to be consulted¡±, it insists.

The council would also take an interest in research that benefits wider Pacific communities. The submission accuses the green paper of overlooking ¡°equity for Pacific research and researchers¡±, which earned a ¡°minor reference¡± in just one of the report¡¯s 82 pages.

The submission also says New Zealand is ¡°well short¡± of its target for research spending to reach 2 per cent of gross domestic product ¨C which itself is well below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 2.5 per cent.

¡°We need¡­greater public investment and stronger incentives for the private sector to build its commitment to research investment, especially in sectors that offer the highest dividend,¡± the submission says.

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¡°A lot of good ideas are not being funded,¡± Mr Whelan said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a system that just doesn¡¯t have the level of funding for the number of researchers.¡±

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com