Calder Cam: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCalder Cam: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:12075. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr CAM CALDER (Chairperson of the Education and Science Committee):It is a great pleasure to take a call in this estimates debate on Vote Science and Innovation. The Government understands how important a strong science and innovation base is to our economy. Accordingly Vote Science and Innovation for 2013-14 increased to over $927 million—that is $927 million—from an estimated actual expenditure for the previous year of $800 million. Budget 2013 contained $200 million of new funding over the next 4 years for science and innovation because we recognise that science and innovation are key drivers of economic growth and international competitiveness—Tracey Martin: $3 million for eels. That’s all we need—$3 million.Dr CAM CALDER: International competitiveness and economic growth Ms Martin.To maximise our performance New Zealand needs to develop better linkages with international markets and be a stronger player in research and development. Increasing our funding in Vote Science and Innovation will help support our businesses to grow it will support our businesses to deliver more jobs it will support our businesses to deliver higher-paying jobs for New Zealanders and it will inevitably improve our living standards. As mentioned our estimates for Vote Science and Innovation were over $927 million. In fact the total gross portfolio funding for Vote Science and Innovation is a massive $1.36 billion in 2013-14. That is a rise of 28 percent—28 percent—over the last 4 years.So what is some of the spending? How is it deployed? New funding over the next 4 years includes $75 million for business research and development grants $31 million for repayable grants to start-up businesses $73 million for our innovative National Science Challenges and $20 million for the Marsden Fund just to name a few. Let us look at some of these areas in more detail. This year’s increase for the Marsden Fund reaffirms the Government’s ongoing support for fundamental investigator-led research.Dr Rajen Prasad: He’s reading a speech.Dr CAM CALDER: I know you are excited Mr Prasad and it is very real excitement. As the Minister of Science and Innovation has observed the New Zealand science system is a crucial part of our competitive advantage internationally. It strengthens innovation and our tertiary education sector and as we have talked about provides many international linkages which are so crucial to our success economically.Access to the Marsden Fund is an important factor in attracting and retaining high-quality scientists in New Zealand. Since 2008 we have increased support for the Marsden Fund by 37 percent—37 percent. The funding forms part of a $100 million a year internationally focused package which of course was a centrepiece of the 2013 Budget. The funding will enable our country’s top scientific researchers to conduct quality research in their fields of expertise which will have flow-on effects for many in the New Zealand science community. The increased funding will actually lift the size of the Marsden Fund by 11 percent which will improve the success rate for eligible researchers bidding into the fund which as we said is one of New Zealand’s premier investigator-led research funds.We have thought outside the box. This is an innovative Government. It is a wide-thinking Government. We have thought outside the box and announced the final 10 selected National Science Challenges and given them a $73 million boost over the next 4 years to fund them. What are these? These science challenges will tackle some of the biggest science-based issues and opportunities facing New Zealand and are designed to take a more strategic approach to our science investment by targeting a series of goals that if they are achieved will have a major and enduring benefit for New Zealand.After engaging with the science sector and the public through The Great New Zealand Science Project an independent panel recommended a number of challenge areas to the Government. The challenge is to provide an opportunity to align and focus New Zealand’s research on large and complex issues by drawing scientists together from different institutions and across disciplines to achieve a common goal through collaboration. We believe aligning and focusing research in this way in our small and somewhat fragmented scientific community will help the Government and New Zealand get better value from its $1.3 billion investment in science and innovation. So what are some of these research areas?Vote agreed to.