CEO’s Update
October 2011 was a month that will go down in New Zealand sporting history for the All Blacks victory, but also in our history of national disasters.
Thankfully the Rugby World Cup wasn’t one of them; but the oil spill from the ship Rena, grounded on the Astrolabe reef off Tauranga, is a tragedy for that area, the people and the ecosystem. It is good to know that we have been able to offer help to the authorities and local organisations around issues of oil contamination and impacts on birds and other fauna.
National science capability
The disasters that have beset New Zealand in the last 18 months have demanded a great diversity of skills from the science sector. It is one of the challenges of running a Crown Research Institute (CRI) that we should maintain national science capability in a wide range of disciplines in spite of the ebbs and flows of revenue from government and industry sources. The core funding that we now receive from government will be an asset in maintaining that capability. In Landcare Research’s case this is 40% of our total revenue. But we will continue to face choices and the need to balance capability investment between the here-and-now priorities with the over-the-horizon predictions and opportunities that derive from foresight.
Strategic Science Advisory Panel
To help us with this task of prioritisation our Board of Directors has appointed a Strategic Science Advisory Panel. Members are Professor Jan Bebbington, St Andrews University, Scotland; Professor Mark Burgman, Melbourne University; Professor Andrew Campbell, Darwin University, Australia; Professor Mark Kibblewhite, Cranfield University, England; and Professor Basil Sharp, University of Auckland. The panel will be chaired by Professor Steve Goldson, AgResearch, New Zealand.
Science excellence
We have taken our focus on science capability and excellence one step further to create a new role of Chief Scientist, with responsibility for our scientists (of which we have around 250) and our interactions with other science providers, both in New Zealand and overseas. The inaugural Chief Scientist at Landcare Research is Dr. David Whitehead. His role is to ensure the delivery of excellent science, fi t for purpose, and with seamless access to collaborators to build best teams. He will be supported by our Science Team Leaders.
Science outcomes
It has been very instructive for me to visit the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC, this month. The WRI has a global reputation for making a difference in the environmental agenda. For example, it co-developed the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, used by hundreds of organisations to assess their emissions. The WRI has a clear focus on achieving outcomes with its research; and it makes a clear distinction between its research outputs (e.g. reports and tools) and the outcomes that the WRI contributes to achieving. Outcomes may be changes in government policy or industry practice, and they have significant local or global impact in addressing environmental issues. Landcare Research, like other CRIs, is renewing its focus on outcomes and the contribution it can make through its research targets and outputs. We are pleased to be working with WRI on a number of projects including an ecosystem services assessment tool for industry.
Marsden Fund successes
It is a real pleasure to acknowledge the Marsden Fund successes of bids led by Janet Wilmshurst and Dan Tompkins. Dan will lead a project on infectious disease transmission, emergence and persistence and Janet will research plant and animal evidence for the early human colonisation of Rekohu (Chatham Islands). Marsden Fund grants are highly prized and sought after; so we were delighted to win two from three full proposals. One of our directors, Associate Professor Emily Parker, Canterbury University, was also successful in winning a Marsden grant for her work on enzymology. This issue of Discovery looks at several research highlights from our four outcomes. We hope you enjoy.