9 March 2006 Collaboration seen as key to international competitiveness

Lincoln Partnerships Deal with Research “Blind Spot”

An alliance of research organisations based at Lincoln has been encouraged to continue with efforts to build collaboration and to recognise that the development of science capacity is a priority outcome for the competitive funding process.

Speaking at a meeting of The Lincoln Resource, the CEO of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, Murray Bain, said as an investor in science the Foundation could find itself choosing between two sub-optimal teams which, if they were combined, might be superb.

Collaboration offered a solution, and while New Zealand’s small size presented many challenges for the research sector, the ability to “get all the decision makers in a room together” was a distinct advantage. Getting good at collaboration should be seen as an end in itself – a first step towards collaborative outcomes.

Bain was one of three FoRST speakers to address more than 40 Lincoln-based science and research organisation leaders, including CEOs, senior management and scientists, who are working to build research partnerships under the banner of The Lincoln Resource. 

A key message in the presentations was the value of collaboration to overcome the “blind spot” in New Zealand’s research efforts. Craig Norgate, a FoRST board member, noted that the economic progress of the past decade was built on research that was undertaken in the 1980s.

Norgate said links within industry could dramatically improve the chance of commercial and economic success. In doing so it was important for organisations to look for a natural partner – one with the right focus, established channels of distribution, and adequate scale.

Murray Bain noted that FoRST is now operating more like a private investor, looking more closely at the results and value gained from past contracts and using this as a basis for making decisions about future investments. “That implies understanding where our strengths and weaknesses lie and being prepared to act on that knowledge – by establishing priority areas and rewarding performance.” 

The Chair of FoRST, Dame Margaret Bazely, said New Zealand’s small size would always be a challenge for maintaining the right mix of scientists. The establishment of the Lincoln-based National Centre for Advanced Bio-protection Technologies was an excellent example of bringing expertise together, she said.

In his welcome for the event’s speakers, the Chairman of The Lincoln Resource, Nick Pyke, said the cluster had already made significant progress through the establishment of “soft networking”, a lecture series to showcase members’ research, and efforts to build a more informed media.

About the Lincoln Resource
The Lincoln Resource is a cluster of companies and organisations involved in land-based research and its application in business. Through networking and collaboration, cluster members expect to grow their respective operations. The cluster is based in and around Lincoln in Canterbury, New Zealand.

The cluster represents more than 900 staff based around Lincoln in a range of roles including research, development of products and services, business development, provision of analytical and other consulting services, and management and support. The cluster is comprised of: Canesis Network, Crop & Food Research Ltd, Foundation for Arable Research, Heinz Watties Ltd, Lincoln University, Lincoln Ventures Ltd, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research Ltd, Selwyn District Council, PGG Wrightson, Ag Research Ltd, Encoate Ltd. www.thelincolnresource.com

Sarah Hannan, Marketing & Communications Manager, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand
 

Chris Coughlan, Facilitator, The Lincoln Resource, Canterbury, New Zealand