Biotechnology Research Roadmap - Science and Innovation

6.2.3 Directions: Research to support the effective
development and management of biotechnologies
Direction 8
The government will continue to support research to inform quality decision-making on the environmental
impacts and societal implications of emerging biotechnologies in the New Zealand context.
Ongoing social and environmental impacts research is
required to ensure that emerging biotechnologies are
responsibly developed and managed in New Zealand.
End-user feedback indicates there is currently a lack
of strategic oversight and a degree of fragmentation
between research providers in these research areas.
Additional work needs to be undertaken to ensure
that research to support decision-making is well
coordinated and targeted to meet the strategic needs of
the end-user community and society at large.
Short term actions:
MoRST to hold a workshop (2007), with government departments, research funding and investment agencies
and researchers, to better co-ordinate existing and future work on environmental impacts and societal
implications of biotechnologies.
6.2.4 Direction: Cross-cutting issues
Direction 9
The government will focus additional efforts on building international relationships for New Zealand
biotechnology research on the Asian region.
Being well connected internationally is critical
to the development of biotechnology research in
New Zealand. New Zealand’s geographic isolation
means that the country faces particular challenges
in staying tapped into global networks. International
research linkages play a central role in developing
biotechnology research in New Zealand, resulting
in scientific collaborations, new sources of research
investment and access to specialist research
facilities. International research linkages also
facilitate the development of international business
and commercialisation linkages as New Zealand
researchers use the business networks of their off-shore
collaborators.
While many of the most fertile international research
linkages are at the research group to research group
level, the government also has a role to play in
developing and facilitating international research
relationships. For example through development of
bi-lateral and multi-lateral science and technology
agreements.
Recent efforts from government have focused on
building research and industry links to important
markets for biotechnology like the United States, the
European Union and Australia. These have taken the
form of a biotechnology alliance and partnership fund
with Australia, focused delegations to the European
Union and the inclusion of a science delegation to
the US Biotechnology Industry Association’s annual
conference. The government will continue to build on
these efforts.
International trends in biotechnology research activity
are, however, indicating an increase in investment in
the Asian region. Nations like China, India, South
Korea and Singapore have been rapidly scaling up
biotechnology research investments and infrastructure
development. These sustained efforts present
opportunities for New Zealand research groups and
organisations to build stronger biotechnology research
links with this region and help meet emerging market
opportunities in the North Asia region. There are a
number of synergies between areas of biotechnology
research strength in New Zealand and growing
investments in Asia.
Roadmaps for Science : biotechnology research
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