New Zealand's lack of funding for basic research is a ‘‘slow-burning catastrophe'' that is contributing to the brain drain, a group of the country's top thinkers said yesterday.
In an open letter to Minister of Science Pete Hodgson, 460 of New Zealand's leading scientists urged the Government to treble the Marsen Fund, New Zealand's core basic research fund.
The scientists come from the country's universities, crown research institutes and independent research institutes.
The author of the letter, Prof Jeffery Tallon, of Victoria University, said New Zealand spends just over 1% of its GDP on science research, compared with other OECD countries such as Denmark that spend more than 3%.
The country's spend on scientific research had actually dropped 17% in the past 10 years, despite political rhetoric about the push for a ‘‘knowledge-based'' economy, he said.
While New Zealand's research abilities were reversing and productivity declining, its competitors abroad were rapidly expanding their investment, Prof Tallon said.
‘‘We need to wake up. ‘‘The fact is, collectively in New Zealand, we haven't got our heads around the issue that we're in direct competition with the rest of the world,'' he said.
‘‘We're falling behind. It's a slowburning catastrophe.''
The Marsden Fund dispenses about $39 million to researchers each year - enough to fund just 7% of research applicants.
The comparable fund in the United States, the National Science Fund, supports about 26% of applicants.
Prof Tallon said the paucity of funding had caused a ‘‘disenchantment amongst researchers'', meaning jobs were on the line.
‘‘Outstanding young people' were emigrating to countries where the research environment was ‘‘more positive and rewarding'', he said.
In the opinion of the scientists the 93% failure rate for bids was ‘‘absolutely unacceptable'' for a western nation wishing to hold its head high within the international research community.
‘‘This is not just our view, but one that has been articulated again and again in independent reviews, government statements and recently in the OECD Review of Innovation Policy in New Zealand.''
The OECD review said the Marsden Fund should be larger to increase the probability of successful, high-impact research yielding a big pay-off for the economy.
Mr Hodgson said last night there were ‘‘no plans to dramatically increase the Marsden Fund, any more than there are plans to raise the health research fund, or other funds''.
He agreed New Zealand should spend more on research, but pointed out the Marsden Fund made up just a small part of the country's $700 million research spend, of which about 40% was spent on basic research.
That ratio compared well with other Western countries, he said.
However, New Zealand was spending only about 75% of the international average on publicly funded research, and just 33% of the average in the private sector.
Both those figures had to rise, he said, with more emphasis needed on the private sector. -
