Securing regional research institute new task

Andrew Coker

Priority One and the University of Waikato have found the person they want to help develop commercial applications for leading-edge Bay of Plenty research.

The new staffer, whom they will jointly fund, will also be involved in trying to bring to the Bay one of the new regional research institutes announced in this year's Budget.

"We're partnering with the university to develop a number of initiatives, one of them being the research institute," said Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker.

The new staff member cannot be named yet, but is expected to start in the next few months.

The Government pledged $25 million to launch up to three new regionally based research institutes in the next four to five years, depending on demand. It said it would work with regional stakeholders to identify the best opportunities.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said, when he announced the funding, that he wanted to create more private-public organisations in the regions, along the lines of Nelson's Cawthron Aquaculture Park, a research and technology centre for the aquaculture sector, which includes industry-sector stakeholders.

Mr Coker said that at this stage there had been no specific overtures made to the Government.

"But once we have the new staff resource in place that will be one of the key tasks," he said.

While the funding was coming from the University of Waikato and Priority One, the new staff member would look at all options in regard to what made sense for the Government and the region.

"This is not just a Tauranga thing," he said.

The Bay of Plenty Tertiary Intentions Strategy has recommended creating a global centre for primary sector research, initially focused on horticulture, building on the capabilities of Plant and Food Research in Te Puke and the Newnham Innovation Park in Tauranga.

Mr Coker said the pitch to attract a regional research centre to the Bay was likely to be focused around developments in precision agriculture.