‘Callaghan Innovation,’ the new Crown Entity that aims to increase public and private investment in research to grow more innovative exports should also ensure that it is focused on business needs.
While investment in fundamental research remains important, we also need our scientists and researchers to focus on near-term business requirements that are customer led.
If we want to boost our exports and develop more internationally competitive companies, we need to focus on innovation and have a valuable point of difference,
Scientists who can get alongside business to help turbocharge an innovative culture will be helping to grow our exports.
Ensuring that our exporters have a unique point of difference to compete at the top end of the market is important.
In a relatively high-cost manufacturing environment, this is the only way we will stay globally competitive.
The proof of success will be increased investment in R & D from the private and public sectors (currently low by international standards), leading to increasingly high-value exports and increased collaboration between our science and business talent.
Catherine Beard is Executive Director of BusinessNZ based in Wellington. Read another article in this Section.
