Biotechnology Research Roadmap - Science and Innovation

expertise underpinning plant and animal productivity
enhancement) could be applied more broadly to the
marine environment.
A range of issues exist across-the-board in the marine
sector. Additional marine biotechnology research
investment in the short-to-medium term needs to be
directed towards building basic-targeted biotechnology
research capability to support the long-term
transformation of the sector. Ongoing work is also
required to help industry build the capacity to take up
research.
Actions:
Marine
Government, research funding and investment agencies, research organisations and industry: to continue
efforts to build better linkages between research and industry.
In the short to medium-term, any additional funding available for marine biotechnology could most
usefully be directed towards building basic-targeted research capability that could underpin the long-term
transformation of the marine sector.
Food and Beverage
MoRST to undertake further food and beverage research policy work (this action will be determined by the
government’s response to the Food and Beverage Taskforce recommendations).
Government, research funding and investment agencies, research organisations and industry: to continue
efforts to build better linkages between research and industry.
Direction 3
Enhanced coordination is required for New Zealand to benefit from emerging industrial biotechnology
opportunities.
Internationally, significant industrial biotechnology
market opportunities are beginning to present
themselves – notably for commodity-based products
like biofuels. But a growing consumer appetite in
developed nations for environmentally sustainable
products and cleaner industrial processes, coupled
with maturing science and technology in the area,
also present significant opportunities for New Zealand
science. For example, existing research strengths and
platforms underpinning primary production sectors
could be re-oriented towards industrial biotechnology
opportunities.
New Zealand does not, however, currently have a
clear understanding of the complete picture of New
Zealand’s research and industrial capability in this
broad area. In the short-term, therefore, we need to
build a greater understanding of the value proposition
from industrial biotechnology and how to best benefit
from longer-term developments. In the short-term,
improved coordination between government agencies,
research organisations and industry will help.
Roadmap Crossover – Roadmaps for Science: Energy Research
Industrial biotechnology, in the area of bioenergy research development, is an area of convergence with
the government’s Energy Research Roadmap. The Energy Roadmap describes critical research capabilities
that New Zealand needs to maintain in the bioenergy area to benefit from rapidly moving international
developments. It stresses the importance of keeping options open and the flexibility to move in a number of
directions, for example, into niche technology development or New Zealand-specific resource assessment and
implementation.
The future direction of this area (including research) will also be shaped by the New Zealand Energy Strategy
which is currently under development.
54 Roadmaps for Science : biotechnology research