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Seven Centres of Research Excellence (Cores) have been given new funding, Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen said today.
The grants would help them produce world-class research that would accelerate New Zealand's economic transformation, he said.
In the latest round of funding six existing centres have been re-selected and a new one has been established.
They will receive $31.4 million a year for the next six years.
The new Core is the Riddet Centre, hosted by Massey University, and it will work on ways in which food with natural ingredients can aid health and wellness.
Dr Cullen said the government had invested $123.5 million in Cores since the programme was established six years ago to encourage the development of excellence research.
The results showed the investment had been worthwhile.
"Cores are not only a breeding ground for the research needed to drive a more dynamic economy, they also help to nurture and retain our best scientists and researchers," Dr Cullen said.
He gave as an example the MacDairmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, which he said was doing outstanding research training of future scientists.
- NZPA
