Transition Research Fund to prioritise technology development

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New Zealand fund “leaves a lot of gaps”, scientists warn

The first round of New Zealand’s Transition Research Fund will prioritise new technologies.

The fund, which is replacing the Marsden and Endeavour schemes, will distribute NZ$84.8 million in 2027, with the majority earmarked for technology research.

An investment plan for 2027 published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on 23 June reveals the dollar amounts being delivered across four research “pillars” under three mechanisms.

The plan says that while the “2027 fund will focus on developing new capability and promising research ideas in the Technology for Prosperity pillar”, such research could have an eventual market in the other three pillars, which cover the primary sector and the bioeconomy; environmental sustainability; and health.

The three mechanisms are projects, for smaller contracts; programmes, for “larger, ambitious, more complex, multi-year programmes that build collaborations and interdisciplinary teams”; and a talent development fund.

In 2027, the only funding available for the talent development area will be in the technology pillar. Around NZ$12.3m will be available for 40 to 50 contracts.

Including the talent funding, the technology pillar will receive a total of NZ$43.5m in the 2027 funding round, more than twice the next largest area, which is primary industries at N$19.3m. Environmental research will receive NZ$15.8m and health NZ$6.2m. Most health funding is still delivered through the Health Research Council, which is to be rolled into the new system at a later date.

The New Zealand Association of Scientists said it is becoming “increasingly concerned that the focus on developing and supporting a tech pillar is subtracting from our national strengths, with a moratorium on talent development in other areas”.

Association co-president Troy Baisden told Research Professional News that the transition fund “will continue to leave a lot of gaps, and based on the caps and funding available it is clear that it will have low success rates that deter exactly the impact-ready research the government wants to support”.

“The programmes mechanism represents more or less a continuation of Endeavour programmes, without addressing the issue that it was an unreliable way to underfund what should have been ongoing research for fixed five-year periods. The projects mechanism will present a lot of challenges as a replacement for Marsden and the Endeavour Fund’s smaller Smart Ideas grants,” Baisden said.

The business ministry defended the design of the transition fund. Danette Olsen, the ministry’s general manager for science system investment, said it is “an investigator-led fund designed to maintain continuity for researchers while Research Funding New Zealand develops advice on the future funding system, including support for mission-led research aligned to major research opportunities”.

“Investment in advanced technologies reflects their role as enablers that support outcomes across all sectors, rather than replacing existing strengths,” Olsen said.

“We expect the talent development mechanism of the Transition Research Fund to contribute to outcomes in the other pillars through the development of new technologies that can be applied to support the bioeconomy, health and environmental sectors.”

Individual organisations will have the number of applications they can make capped based on previous levels of funding. The organisational caps include subcategories for the three funding mechanisms, each with its own cap. The Endeavour Fund had previously capped applications to some funding schemes, while the Marsden Fund limited the number of programmes a principal investigator could lead.

While the existing government Vision Mātauranga policy, which emphasises the role of Māori knowledge, is still in place, the ministry says it “will not be relevant to all proposals”.

The Transition Research Fund is a temporary arrangement pending final investment plans being developed by the board of Research Funding New Zealand, which is responsible for funding decisions in the transition fund.

A gazette notice lays out specific assessment criteria for the mechanisms, such as impact, excellence and the quality of the team involved.

The ministry said that all current research contracts will continue. It is running an information webinar on the new fund and on the wider science investment plan on 25 June.

The national vice-chancellors’ committee Universities New Zealand has been contacted for comment.

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