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A single independent board will assume decision-making powers over science funding in New Zealand, taking over from three separate agencies that currently administer the key competitive schemes, under changes announced by the Wellington government.

The new body, Research Funding New Zealand, will oversee the Endeavour, Marsden and Strategic Science Investment funds and is also likely to take charge of health research grants, after the government made the ¡°in-principle decision¡± to hand it the responsibilities of the Health Research Council.

The changes, announced by science minister Shane Reti on 14 October, follow the release of the final report from the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) chaired by former chief science adviser Peter Gluckman.

¡°This government is simplifying the way we fund science so our researchers can spend less time on paperwork and more time on discovery,¡± Reti said in a . ¡°[We are] reducing duplication and making the process easier to navigate for applicants.¡±

Reti said similar funding structures were used in other ¡°small, advanced economies¡±. He said the changes would be phased in ¡°carefully¡± over four years and would not affect the quantum of funding for science, innovation and technology, with current research contracts able to continue. ¡°The government will work closely with the sector to ensure the new approach delivers for scientists, industry and the country,¡± he promised.

The SSAG , which was handed to the government in April, said a new national research council should take responsibility for ¡°contestable or allocative¡± public funding schemes, including in health research. Its role would include balancing different types of funding to allocate the available money across researchers and programmes.

¡°In a small country, one expert agency managing selection processes makes sense,¡± the report says. ¡°Countries¡­ranging from the UK to Ireland have also integrated funding and in doing so have protected ¡®blue skies¡¯ research.

¡°Prioritisation is more effective when the whole scope of public funding can be seen within a single oversight mechanism. Having one funding agency may also reduce the tendency of researchers to submit multiple applications covering the same work, effectively shopping between different funders.¡±

The government has not responded to the bulk of the report¡¯s 28 recommendations. They included a proposal to organise the new council¡¯s work around ¡°distinct pillars¡±, with one supporting social sciences and humanities research and another focused on M¨¡ori issues.

The government¡¯s response also ignores Gluckman¡¯s warning about the ¡°fragility¡± of New Zealand¡¯s ¡°chronically underfunded¡± science system, highlighted in his preamble to the report.

Reti said public investment in the science funded by the new council would be focused on the economy, technology, the environment, health and society. ¡°We¡¯ll drive science that grows our economy, supports our exporters, tackles environmental challenges and improves¡­health and well-being,¡± he insisted.

¡°The government will continue to back a broad range of science ¨C from blue-sky research through to applied and commercial innovation ¨C but with a system that is simpler, faster and more focused on impact.¡±

Universities New Zealand chair Grant Edwards ¡°cautiously¡± welcomed the changes, but said the focus should not come at the expense ¡°of the much wider range of research [through which] universities¡­improve well-being, quality and richness of life.

¡°We understand the government¡¯s desire to be more strategic in its use of research funding. Hopefully, these changes will provide¡­the opportunity to invest more with the confidence of getting the return needed for the public and country.¡±

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com