New FoRST funding a ‘go forward’ delivery for science at Lincoln University

Lincoln University research teams are set to lead the way on smart seeds, tourism policy and controlling nitrate pollution thanks to new funding of $13.2 million announced today by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

"Financial support of this scale delivers a real ‘go forward’ element to these projects and the teams and collaborators involved,” says Lincoln University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Roger Field.

“The areas funded demonstrate once again the strong ‘Lincoln University factor’ as it relates to crucial contributions to the economy and to the environment. The ‘Lincoln University factor’ was seen last month too in the Government’s decision to renew and increase funding for the campus-based Centre of Research Excellence.

“Such continued funding clearly shows confidence in the distinctive, applied and nationally relevant nature of Lincoln University’s research and the industry partnerships we pursue.”

Through the latest round of contracts the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology is investing in the following scientific research at Lincoln University:

Professors Alison Stewart and John Hampton will lead a research team, with AgResearch and Crop and Food Research, on smart seeds for export (funded for $5.175 million over six years).  Other investors in this project are the Foundation for Arable Research, PGG Wrightson Seeds Ltd and South Pacific Seeds (NZ) Ltd.

Professors Keith Cameron and Hong Di will lead research on nitrogen management in dairy pasture soils for environmental integrity ($5.462 million over six years) in partnership with AgResearch, Dexcel and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
 
Associate Professor Susanne Becken will work with Covec Limited, Landcare Research and the Ministry of Tourism to identify high yielding adaptation measures in response to rising oil prices ($962,500 over three years).
 
Professor David Simmons will work with the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Tourism to develop a new sector model to increase yield per visitor ($1.500 million over four years).

"This investment by Government, and our well established partnerships with Crown Research Institutes and industry, will contribute to both economic growth and improved environmental management across several sectors," says Professor Field, "and we congratulate our leading scientists on their initiative and dedication."

Today’s four FoRST contracts for Lincoln join two others for the University announced earlier in the year - $1.159 million over 28 months for the development of "smart bait" technologies for pest control and $2 million over five years for a social research project investigating education - employment linkages. Lincoln University will also receive an additional $3 million of FoRST investment from a sub-contract with a CRI in the area of bio-protection.

The total value of new research contracts secured from The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology in 2007 is $19.3. 

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RELATED RELEASE from The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology

Research focus on primary production sector

Keeping our primary production sector ahead of the game is the focus of research investment to the value of NZ$311 million announced today.

The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology is investing in both new and continuing research projects targeted at improving the efficiency of our primary production sector, developing new products and new ways of using existing products and managing the impact on the environment.

The primary sector is the biggest area of focus in the overall NZ$628 million package of research contracts announced today by the Foundation.

"Primary industries have always been the backbone of the New Zealand economy and will continue to figure strongly in our future. We need continued investment in research and development if we are to remain globally competitive," says Foundation Chief Executive Murray Bain.

"As world trade increases and our global competitors become stronger, as products and knowledge are more easily moved around the world, as new pests and diseases emerge and new issues such as energy costs and climate change emerge, the need for knowledge-based solutions becomes ever more important."

"Many of the issues are not new and New Zealand has a strong tradition of world class research and science in this sector that we are continuing to build on to support future economic growth."

The majority of the research in this sector will be undertaken by crown research institutes, often in partnership with industry, universities and other research organisations. Murray Bain says this reflects the essential knowledge and expertise built up by the CRIs in the primary sector.

"Scientists in all our research organisations have developed strong relationships with the industries who put their research into practice, and many of the research contracts that we are investing in also have financial support from industry."

Research being invested in by the Foundation is across all areas including horticulture, forestry, pastoral and aquaculture.

An example of research with high potential for increased earnings is a project being undertaken by Industrial Research Ltd, continuing work on new technology to produce high value lipids (polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrates) from milk, fish products and other bio-based raw materials, which can be used in products such as infant formula (High value lipids).

Another example of innovative new ideas from traditional products is HortResearch’s project looking at the use of fruit-derived compounds in fighting asthma (Fruit Products for Asthma).

Other examples of value-adding research in this sector are a Lincoln University project focused on reducing the impact of disease or pest damage on vegetable seeds, a valuable export product (Smart Seeds), and further research by HortResearch into improving our apples and pears (Pipfruit – a juicy future).

An important emerging area of research is epigenetics, or, broadly, how environment influences gene behaviour. The Foundation is investing in a new AgResearch project focused on understanding how environmental cues impact on milk production in dairy cows, which includes epigenetics. (Future proofing of the New Zealand dairy cow).

Another emerging area where the Foundation is increasing its investment is seafood and aquaculture, with projects including NIWA’s research into breeding better paua, kingfish and groper (broodstock) and Crop and Food Research’s work on new fish catching technologies (Wildfish 2020).

"There are many more innovative and exciting projects in this sector and we look forward to continuing to support research that will contribute to New Zealand’s economic growth", says Murray Bain.