Call For More Research

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31946, 25 March 1969, Page 16

Call For More Research

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 24. A considerable increase in the nation’s research effort is necessary for New Zealand to successfully meet the challenges of the next few decades, according to a specialist committee of the National Development Conference.

The conference’s education, training and research committee recommends that the national research effort should be extended at the rate of 5 per cent each year In manpower (71 per cent in expenditure in real terms) to attain a 0.72 percentage of gross national product expenditure in 1979.

But it gives a warning that increased scientific effort can be achieved only by increasing the number of trained staff.

The committee’s report, released today, deals extensively with tertiary education and research needs, and endeavours to determine the national requirements for education and training over the next decade. Noting that much of the nation’s effort on education and research would pay its dividends after the conference target period, 1979, the committee said it sought to

differentiate between longterm and short-term improvements.

“Quick pay-offs,” as the committee describes shortterm improvements, related to applied research and its development in private industry, and the better use and upgrading of the existing and future labour force.

In the long term, the basic needs for future planning were a major improvement and reorganisation of the statistical information services for education, training and research.

Adequate funds and staff would also have to be provided for a greatly-expanded research effort in education and training. Private Sector Dealing with the research needs of each industry, the committee stressed the importance of the private sector of the economy undertaking more reseach on its own initiative. To this end it recommended the creation of a new industrial service division within the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, which would be concerned with the organisation and direction of scentific services to industry. The D.5.1.R., said the committee, should increase its research efforts on behalf of manufacturers in “growth industries” unable to carry out effective research on their own behalf.

Financial provision for industrial research in the laboratories of tlm D.S.I.R. should

be expanded at the rate of 10 per cent a year, the committee said.

In addition, financial assistance to university research relevant to industry should be provided by the Government, and groups of firms or individual firms should be encouraged to sponsor university, D.S.I.R. and research association work on their specific problems. To create a greater awareness of New Zealand’s research needs and career opportunities, the committee recommended that Government laboratories should be sited close to universities. The Government should also sponsor university research, such as particular research contracts, the committee said. The increase in university funds needed for research Into particular problems of specific concern to New Zealand should be supported by supplements from other Government sources and from industry. However, the committee accepted that an increase in private sector research was unlikely to come about unless incentives were given. Basic Target “The Government will undoubtedly continue to undertake through departmental research organisations and the universities, most of the base-load research, benefits of which will accrue to the country as a whole, rather than to any individual firm of industry,” the report said. “The committee is, however, of the view that impedi-

ments to contributions by the private sector to such research should be removed, and has accordingly recommended that more liberal rules should be made in respect of the deduction, for tax purposes, of donations for such research.

“A basic target is to encourage industry to initiate more research, through research establishments, in individual firms, in industry research associations, and also by commissioning Government and university research organisations for specific research projects. “Brokers” Plan The committee said a greater emphasis on industrial research in universities would expand the research services available to industry; would probably make more efficient use of the considerable research capacity in science faculties; and would encourage more graduates to specialise in fields where there was an opening for them in New Zealand.

To overcome the problem of many firms being too small to employ a technologist, the committee recommended that persons should be appointed to technical institutes to act as “brokers” to assist small firms with technical problems. In such a way the “broker” could feed back to the technical institutes the present needs of firms. This proposal was seen by the committee as a supplement to the operations of the suggested industrial service division of the D.S.I.R. I