Biotechnology Research Roadmap - Science and Innovation

1 Introduction
1.1 Why a Biotechnology Research Roadmap
In deciding to develop this Roadmap the Minister
of RS&T recognised a number of distinctive aspects
about the role that biotechnology research plays in
New Zealand:
• Biotechnology research has a key role to play in
driving economic transformation in New Zealand,
both through incremental productivity gains in
the primary sector and diversifying the economy
through the emergence of new firms and economic
niches.
• Biotechnology research also has an important
environmental role to play, for example, through
the development of tools and techniques to protect
New Zealand’s environment from biosecurity
incursions, as well as assisting our industries in
developing cleaner, more sustainable industrial
processes.
• New Zealand cannot invest in the full range of
R&D associated with biotechnology or compete
effectively with global efforts in some areas. New
Zealand needs to be selective in the areas it
chooses, and this Roadmap has a role in helping
guide those investment choices.
• Biotechnology applications can raise cultural and
ethical issues and ongoing research is required to
gauge how New Zealanders view them and how we
can best respond to these issues.
In preparing this Roadmap we have:
• worked closely with an Advisory Group 1 that has
advised on the context, issues and directions;
• developed an analysis of New Zealand’s
current biotechnology R&D, The New Zealand
Biotechnology Research Landscape;
• held a series of regional workshops (May 2006)
with, and received formal submissions from,
research, industry and government agency
representatives (October 2006);
• commissioned a report to quantify the
Government’s investments in biotechnology
research; 2
• built on the work that has been completed
following on from the publication of the
New Zealand Biotechnology Strategy and The
Biotechnology Taskforce Report; and
• drawn information from a range of research and
policy reports (listed in Annex One: References).
1
Representatives on the Advisory Group were from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST), the Health Research Council (HRC), the Royal Society
of New Zealand, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the Biotechnology Taskforce and NZBio.
2
Gilbertson (2005): Analysis of New Zealand Government Investment in Biotechnology R&D 2004/05 Funding Year (partially updated by MoRST, March 2006)
6 Roadmaps for Science : biotechnology research