KEY POINTS:
Academic leaders at the nation's best-performed research university - Otago - say they are "frustrated and disappointed" at the Government's decision to again snub it in the latest handout of extra funding.
"The whole process has turned out to be a fiasco," said the university's vice-chancellor, Professor David Skegg.
The Government yesterday announced that "centre of research excellence" (Core) status will go to Massey University's Riddet Centre for food technology - the only new recipient of millions of dollars in extra funds available only to Core sites.
In the latest round of funding, the six existing centres were re-selected and a new one was established - the Riddet Centre will work on ways in which food with natural ingredients can aid health and wellness.
Professor Skegg, who earlier this month described the allocation of Core funding as "perverse", said: "I suspect some people do not realise how much time and money has gone into carefully developing proposals that have each involved multiple institutions."
In 2002, Otago was the only major university to miss out when the Government handed out $60 million in extra funding for "centres of research excellence". The centres, hosted by Massey, Auckland, Victoria and Lincoln universities, were awarded funding until next year.
Otago has surged past northern rivals in the national league tables for research performed at tertiary institutions, from fourth ranking in 2003 to top of the ladder in 2006.
Otago's deputy vice-chancellor for research, Professor Geoff White, said he was "astounded" that Otago remained without a centre and the accompanying funding.
This was despite the university having put forward 10 of the 27 new proposals for Core sites in the latest funding round.
Two of the nation's top three research universities - ranked for performance-based funding - are Otago and Canterbury in the South Island, but neither is hosting a single Core, while Auckland University has four such centres.
Lincoln University hosts the South Island's only Core, the National Centre for Advanced Bio-Protection Technologies.
- NZPA
