NSOF — investing in research for the future
NSOF is the only funding where we decide how the money will be used.
 Cermatulus nasalis hudsoni Image - Birgit Rhode |
 Trypetocoris separatus Image - Birgit Rhode |
Most of our revenue is contract research funding, and how we spend it is tightly specified. However, for about 5% of our funding, we have far more freedom. Non-Specific Output Funding (NSOF) is allocated to all Crown Research Institutes for public good science and technology research projects that are decided by internal strategic processes. NSOF is the only funding where we decide what gets done. It is a precious resource — highly valued and used wisely.
Over the last 10 years Manaaki Whenua has invested about $25 million of NSOF to:
- develop or extend important new areas of work, including emerging issues that are not yet recognised by research funders
- help develop environmental technologies from proof-of-concept to commercial potential
- facilitate the exchange of scientists with other countries to ensure our research continues to be world class
- build capability in new areas and maintain capacity in areas that have temporary funding downturns.
A few examples of these investments are highlighted here.
Extending areas of work — database integration and accessibility
We invested $1.7 million of NSOF in developing systems to integrate information
from our six nationally significant biodiversity databases and collections.
This has substantially increased their inter-operability and access to
information for national and international users. For example, it is
now much easier to find out what animal, plant and fungi species occur at
a particular location. Data quality-assurance processes, metadata describing
attributes such as who made the measurements and how, clarity of data
ownership and access rights, and archives of field notebooks and field maps
underpin the systems.
Landcare Research databases »
This initiative led to funding through the Department of Conservation (DOC) to help create the Terrestrial and Freshwater Biodiversity Information System (TFBIS) www.biodiversity.govt.nz/land/nzbs/tfbis/tfbis/ »
Dr Jerry
Cooper of Manaaki Whenua has also been appointed to manage the New
Zealand node for the Global
Biodiversity Information Facility.
www.gbif.net »
Recognising emerging issues — social and economic implications of land use
In its first six years, Manaaki Whenua invested more than $1.5 million in building a new research team to work on social, economic and policy issues in land use. We recognised that successful practices and policies designed to improve resource management would require an understanding of community behaviour and a sound economic basis.
Despite our foresight, we were unable to gain significant public funding for work incorporating social science and resource economics, and some of the key researchers left. Our NSOF investment was a little too advanced to be recognised as significant. Now, with sustainability issues identified as national and global priorities, our earlier research has put us in a strong position and we are actively recruiting social scientists and economists. For example, we have gained PGS&T funding plus international recognition for our Integrated Catchment Management programme (http://icm.landcareresearch.co.nz), our Collaborative Learning for Environmental Management Group (www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/social), and for the New Zealand Centre for Ecological Economics (www.nzcee.org.nz).
Developing new ideas — possum fertility control
New Zealand currently spends over $70 million a year on possum control. There is an urgent need for more sustainable ways to manage possums. We have invested $1.4 million NSOF, initially to prove the concept of a fertility control vaccine for possums, and now to move towards proof-of-performance. Over eight years, our NSOF investment leveraged over $2 million of Australian Government funding and gained us access to $8 million of Marsupial Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) IP relevant to our fertility control research. When the CRC ended, we were able to capture the ownership of this IP through our subsidiary, Fertility Control Ltd.
Our immunocontraception approach is now recognized in the National Science Strategy for Possums/Tb, and by increased PGS&T funding to $800,000 per year for 2003/04 – 2007/08.
Fostering networks — developing our people
Over the last 10 years, we have invested $2.7 million of NSOF in fellowships and $1.9 million in training. At least 30 international researchers have come to work with us at Manaaki Whenua, and 18 of our staff worked overseas with the best people in their area. Other staff were seconded to resource management agencies — one to Environment Waikato, two to the Ministry for the Environment — and a Nga-i Tahu researcher has been seconded to us. NSOF also enabled 16 Manaaki Whenua staff to complete postgraduate degrees, 13 of which were PhDs.
Maintaining national capability — biosystematics
Biosystematics, the science of classifying and naming of species, is critical
to all work on biodiversity, biosecurity and bioprospecting. When PGS&T
funding was cut temporarily in the early 1990s, NSOF investment of $400,000
allowed us to retain key skills. Since 2000, additional investment of
$860,000 has supported development of the next generation of systematists
and extended research into new areas, e.g., molecular taxonomy, and diagnostic-quality
digital-imaging technology.
Koiora-Bioassist »
| My experience | |
A Manaaki Tangata Fellowship enabled me to work with colleagues overseas. I was able to develop and test new methods to partition sources of respired carbon from ecosystems, and build new collaborative links with European researchers who are determining rates of carbon storage in vegetation at the continental scale. |
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Economic:
NSOF invested in possum biocontrol research allowed us to acquire
key information and ‘know-how’ that is worth much more than
the amount invested.
Social:
We were able to keep essential specialists in biology instead
of them losing their jobs through lack of Government funding.
Environmental:
It is now much easier for scientists and land managers to
connect relevant information from various environmental databases.
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Ian Whitehouse
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