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'Powering Innovation' sets pathway for growth

Thursday 3 November 2011, 1:36PM

By Wayne Mapp

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“Ramping up New Zealand’s innovation potential across the high-tech manufacturing and services sectors will be a major catalyst for New Zealand's future growth,” says Science and Innovation Minster Wayne Mapp.

Dr Mapp and Acting Minister for Economic Development, David Carter, today released Powering Innovation, an independent report looking at how New Zealand can best grow its high-tech manufacturing and services sectors.

The report’s key finding is that New Zealand needs an advanced technology institute that can support business with research and development.

There are also recommendations made around talent, funding, international collaborations and commercialisation.

“Today the Prime Minister announced the Government will develop a new advanced technology institute along the lines recommended by the report,” says Dr Mapp.

“Many of the other recommendations in the report have already been picked up by our science and innovation programme over the past three years.

“We have already reformed Crown Research Institutes and increased support for business, resulting in more private investment.

“We created the new Ministry of Science and Innovation and simplified funding processes. We have also supported commercialisation units and invested in science infrastructure.

“This report sets a strong direction for future policy development,” Dr Mapp says.

“Powering Innovation is a sound basis for expanding high-tech industries to complement our primary industries and tourism,” says Mr Carter.

“The TIN 100 report of our top 100 technology-intensive industries shows how important this sector is. Those companies turned over $5 billion worth of export business last year.

“Our challenge is to grow more companies like that, and grow them faster,” says Mr Carter.

“We have seen how vital the science and development organisations that support our primary industries are. Powering Innovation is about building that same support and connections for our high-tech sector.

“This Government has already significantly boosted and improved support for research and innovation across all sectors,” says Mr Carter.

“An advanced technology institute is the next significant step that will get our best ideas off the lab bench and into the marketplace. Other initiatives along the lines of the report will follow.”


Related Documents

Advanced_technology_institutes_QA.pdf
(pdf 20.52 KB)