Boards key to science and innovation success

Research, Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp has announced the membership of the two new boards that will decide funding for science and innovation.

The Science Board and the Innovation Board will be associated with the new Ministry of Science and Innovation. The Science Board will allocate science funding to research organisations. The Innovation Board will make funding decisions related to business-facing programmes.

“These boards will be key players in the Government’s reforms to improve the science and innovation system,” the Minister said.

“They will help ensure that New Zealand businesses are innovative, internationally competitive and contributing to economic growth. They will fund the high-quality research needed to increase productivity and raise our standard of living.

“We have appointed some of New Zealand’s top scientists, business people and innovation experts to the boards.

“The Innovation Board will be chaired by Dr William Rolleston, who has extensive experience in the sector. Professor Sir David Skegg, one of our most distinguished scientists, will chair the Science Board.”

The new Ministry of Science and Innovation, which becomes fully operational on 1 February, will support and monitor the boards.

Dr Mapp has also appointed three new members to the Marsden Fund Council, which oversees New Zealand’s premier fund for basic research.

The board and council members are listed below.

Innovation Board

Dr William Rolleston (Chair): Dr Rolleston is a founding shareholder and director of South Pacific Sera, which produces animal blood products for the biotechnology sector and undertakes contract manufacturing of vaccines and biologics. He is a director of several other enterprises and is the provincial president of South Canterbury Federated Farmers. He is also a member of the Board of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. Dr Rolleston is based in Canterbury. He has been appointed for three years.

Professor Harlene Hayne: Professor Hayne is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise at the University of Otago, and the deputy chair of Otago Innovation Ltd. Through these roles she understands what is required for successful commercialisation, technology transfer, and R&D programmes. She also has experience in financial management, particularly in the context of research. Professor Hayne is based in Dunedin. She has been appointed for two years.

Sarah Kennedy: Previously Chief Executive Officer of Vitaco Health, Ms Kennedy has a strong technical and business background. Having grown and run a consumer health products company for over 11 years, she understands the assessment of, and processes for, successful development and commercialisation. Ms Kennedy is currently at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a Sloan Scholarship as a MBA candidate. She is based in Auckland and has been appointed for two years.

Dr Alastair MacCormick: Dr MacCormick is a professional director and management consultant. He was Dean of the Business School at the University of Auckland for 14 years, subsequently served terms as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor. Dr MacCormick is the foundation chairman of Connect New Zealand, a programme to network technology companies, and Chairman of the Technology Park Advisory Board for the Auckland University of Technology. He is based in Auckland and has been appointed for three years.

Stuart McKenzie: Mr McKenzie is a general partner of venture capital fund Endeavour Capital. He is a council member of the New Zealand Private Equity and Venture Capital Association and a member of the Commercialising Research Action Group. He served on the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Beachhead Advisory Board from 2004 to 2009. Mr McKenzie is based in Christchurch. He has been appointed for two years.

Phil O’Reilly: Mr O’Reilly is the Chief Executive of Business New Zealand. In this role he has gained wide experience and deep understanding of many industry sectors, and has engaged in a number of areas relating to the commercialisation of research in New Zealand. He is a council member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and chair of the Capitalising on Research and Development Action Group. Mr O’Reilly is based in Wellington and has been appointed for two years.

Grant Ryan: Mr Ryan is an inventor and entrepreneur. He has founded a number of companies, including YikeBike, GlobalBrain.net, RealContacts, SLI Systems and Eurekster. Mr Ryan is on the board of the Canterbury Development Corporation and has also served on the board of the Venture Investment Fund and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. He is based in Canterbury and has been appointed for three years.

Peter Townsend: Mr Townsend has 38 years’ experience in export-related industry and senior management positions. He has been the Chief Executive of Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce since 1996. He is a member of the board of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and holds several corporate directorships. Mr Townsend is based in Christchurch. He has been appointed for two years.

Science Board

Professor Sir David Skegg (Chair): Sir David has been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago since 2004. He has an international reputation for scientific research and was awarded the Sir Charles Hercus Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand. He has chaired numerous boards and committees for the Government, voluntary organisations such as the Cancer Society, and the World Health Organisation. He is retiring as Vice-Chancellor on 31 July 2011. Sir David is based in Dunedin and has been appointed for three years.

Professor Richard Blaikie: Professor Blaikie is director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and works at the University of Canterbury. He has 20 years’ experience as a scientist and engineer in the private sector, and for an inter-institutional collaborative research organisation. Professor Blaikie has had direct involvement in decision-making for a range of national and international science funding bodies. He is based in Christchurch and has been appointed for two years.

Denise Church: Ms Church has a wide range of experience in public sector management and in the environmental sector. She is actively involved in providing leadership and strategy consulting services across the public sector. Ms Church is a member of the Board of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. She is based in Wellington. She has been appointed for two years.

Professor Peter Hunter: Professor Hunter is director of the Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland. He is on the scientific advisory boards of a number of research institutes in Europe, the US and in the Asia-Pacific region. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society (in both the UK and New Zealand), the World Council for Biomechanics, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. Professor Hunter is the chair of the Marsden Fund Council. He is based in Auckland and has been appointed for three years.

Wendy Nelson: Dr Nelson is Principal Scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). She has significant experience on advisory boards. During three decades of research she has established a notable track record of publications which reflects her strong links with researchers in other institutions, both in New Zealand and overseas. Dr Nelson is based in Wellington and has been appointed for three years.

Dr William Rolleston: Innovation Board chair Dr Rolleston will also serve on the Science Board for a three-year term.

Professor Charles Royal: Professor Royal holds the chair of Indigenous Development in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Auckland, and is director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, one of New Zealand's nine centres of research excellence. Professor Royal’s research interests lie with creativity, innovation and traditional Māori knowledge. He works in two areas: innovation in indigenous performing arts and innovation utilising aspects of indigenous knowledge. Professor Royal is based in Auckland and has been appointed for two years.

Professor Warren Tate: Professor Tate is Associate Dean Research (Health Science Division) at the University of Otago. He has held several leadership roles requiring broad vision, perspective and knowledge, and has significant experience in the academic science and health science sectors. Professor Tate has also served on international science policy bodies in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2010 he won the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Rutherford Medal. Professor Tate is based in Dunedin and has been appointed for two years.

Marsden Fund Council

The three new members are:

Professor Kurt Krause, convenor of the Biomedical Sciences panel: Professor Krause is head of the Department of Biochemistry and director of the Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases at the University of Otago. Professor Krause spent most of his earlier career in the US and worked as a physician in Houston. His research area is the structure of proteins important in infectious diseases.

Professor Linda Smith, convenor of the Social Sciences panel: Professor Smith is Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori at the University of Waikato. She has a background in Māori and indigenous education. She is known internationally for her work on research methodology, and on Māori and indigenous education.

Professor David Williams, convenor of the Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry panel: Professor Williams is Professor of Electrochemistry at the University of Auckland. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and of the Royal Society of Chemistry. His research interests are in medical diagnostic tools, surface chemistry of oxides, electrochemistry sensors and imaging electrochemical reactions.

The new council members have been appointed for three years.