The university responded to concerns reported in the Otago Daily Times about a discussion document prepared by the university for the NZDF that mentions the possibility of "weapons developments" as part of a partnership between the two organisations.
Deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation Prof Greg Cook said weapons were not the plan.
"It is important to be clear that as part of the RFI (request for information), the university is not proposing to build defence weapons.
"The RFI is an early scoping exercise only, no contracts have been entered into.
"As noted in our response to the RFI, any future work would need to be lawful, meet New Zealand government standards and comply with the university’s ethics policies and procedures."
The document, obtained by the ODT, mentioned the possibility of "weapons developments" as part of the partnership, which "could range from non-lethal side-arms for peacekeeping; bubble physics to speed up advanced torpedoes, photonic guidance for more accurate missiles and laser directed-energy weapon technologies akin to the UK’s DragonFire or Israel’s Iron Beam".
However, Prof Cook said weapons would not be a focus of any partnership with the NZDF.
"The university has capabilities in areas such as protection, sensing, geospatial capability, communications, human health and wellbeing, leadership and organisational development, environmental and ecological science, disaster management and clean energy innovation — among many other things.
"We have partnered with the NZDF for many years across areas such as military medical training and environmental projects. We value these constructive relationships and the opportunity to contribute to the security of New Zealand and our people."
Asked about concerns from staff who might have objections to working with the NZDF, Prof Cook said there was no requirement for anyone to work on these projects.
"Our academic staff pursue a wide range of research interests and we do not expect universal agreement on every project.
"Academic freedom allows researchers to hold and express their views, while our institutional neutrality policy means no-one may impose their views on others. These principles guide all our research activity."
There had not been a discussion about revenue generated from the proposed partnership with NZDF, nor did the university feel the need to consult the wider academic community about it because "as with other RFIs and government tenders, broad consultation is neither required nor feasible within the timeframes for submission".
Issues of intellectual property (IP) from any creations associated with the proposed partnership would be worked out at a later date, Prof Cook said.
"IP for any developments that may arise as a result of the RFI would be managed in accordance with existing university and New Zealand government policies and negotiated with any commercial partners.
"Individual contracts vary, but typically involve shared IP between originators, external funders and host institutions including the university."
The document noted weapons technology was the most likely to be boycotted by academic researchers, whereas health and environmental technology would generally be the most likely to be supported irrespective of the funding source.
