Biotechnology Research Roadmap - Science and Innovation

Short-term actions:
Research funding and investment agencies to:
retain a balance in research funding, to maintain New Zealand’s competitive advantages and develop new,
transformational areas from them;
set research priorities for applied biotechnology research in partnership with industry;
build greater flexibility into research assessment processes for research where there is the potential for
transformational outcomes, but an absence of current industry end-users; and
set research priorities in new and developing areas based on research excellence.
Research organisations to highlight biotechnology opportunities by further developing linkages with relevant
industries and user groups, and supporting researchers engaging with industries.
Direction 2
Additional effort is required by government and industry to realise transformational biotechnology research
opportunities in the marine and food and beverage sectors.
Development of the Roadmap identified two key
sectors for New Zealand where there are significant
opportunities for biotechnology research to add value
over the short-to-medium term: the marine and the
food and beverage sectors.
Food and Beverage
From a research capability perspective New Zealand is
well equipped to extract greater benefit in the food and
beverage research area. Particular opportunities exist
in the area where food and health converges. However,
more research and policy work is required to leverage
these opportunities. In particular, there is a need to
address a current mismatch between “science-push”
and “market-pull” at the value added end of the food
and beverage spectrum.
Further work is needed by government, research
and industry to transfer cutting edge research to the
New Zealand based food and beverage industry. This
finding is consistent with the recommendations in the
recently published report of the Food and Beverage
Taskforce. 80
The Government response to the Food and Beverage
Taskforce report is forthcoming. 81 Any related food
and beverage research actions in its response to that
report will be incorporated into the actions arising
from this Roadmap.
Marine
New Zealand’s marine-based industries and
environment have the potential to provide future
economic opportunities for New Zealand. These
opportunities are multi-faceted. Based on experience
with land-based primary production, biotechnology
research will drive productivity improvement in the
aquaculture industry. The potential of the aquaculture
industry was recently highlighted in a strategy jointly
developed by industry and government. As the
world’s fastest growing primary industry this sector
presents significant opportunities for New Zealand
to extend existing competitive advantages. 82 Marine
biotechnology will also provide opportunities for New
Zealand researchers to develop bioactive compounds
from the marine environment for medical and
industrial purposes.
It should also be noted there is a strong cross-over with
the issues signalled for the food and beverage sector.
The early stage of marine’s development may also
mean that New Zealand’s established plant and animal
research strengths, (for example, genomics research
80
The Taskforce report recommends that there is a need to develop linking “vehicles to focus R&D on commercial problem solving” and provide greater incentives for
collaboration through encouraging “the consolidation of infrastructure, knowledge, production processes, distribution and marketing” of which research is an important
component.
81
As of November 2006
82
The New Zealand Aquaculture Strategy (2006), p.2
Roadmaps for Science : biotechnology research
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