AgResearch anticipates agriculture operations will be increasingly bound by government and local body regulations, and this must be provided for in its research direction.
"There's a need for a balance between primary industry growth and community environmental concerns," he says.
"We can't increase production without regard to environmental impacts. We need to anticipate and accommodate the rules so as to still get that extra production, yet still comply with environment protection."
Another new direction is in the social sciences -- once a discipline quite separate from the soil and beakers of farm physical research.
"We have 15 social scientists on our staff. There's increasing recognition that there is little point in developing even the most exciting products or technology, if the farmers can't see the advantage of adopting these innovations," Mr Murison says.
"It won't work if we say, 'here's a lovely widget you can use' and toss it over the fence to them. We now know we have to be clear about what the benefits are and understand how they will be adopted."
AgResearch can take a share of the credit for maintaining the sheepmeat volume exported from New Zealand, despite sheep numbers halving during the past 25 years.
The international work sequencing of the sheep genome, and genetic comparisons between different breeds and species of sheep in recent years, has provided a powerful longer-term platform which can be picked up by organisations such as Beef and Lamb New Zealand Genetics.
Much of the cutting-edge research needs international collaboration to get anywhere.
Mr Murison says AgResearch makes sure its international linkages are maintained.
"There is always the fact that biological systems are different in different parts of the world. But there are common principles and linkages. One example is the relationship we have with Teagasc which is the equivalent of AgResearch in Ireland. Most large-scale dairy operations overseas are cut and carry, whereas the Irish direct pasture feed system is similar to our own."
Mr Murison says AgResearch's projects and facilities attract top overseas scientists to work here.
"I can think of Steve Miller at Invermay and Li Day in Palmerston North as recent recruits here. And of course we have always had a flow here of post-graduate students who are co-supervised with New Zealand universities."
When asked what AgResearch would most like to see changed in the New Zealand science world, Mr Murison pauses the longest.
"Our government is well aware of the importance of the primary industries. It comes through in the primary industry export growth target. Science has to be large part in achieving that target.
"But if we'd like to see a change. It would be in greater stability of funding. For AgResearch, that would be our number one priority."
