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The role and purpose of research in the tertiary education system

Research undertaken in the tertiary education system has a significant contribution to make to New Zealand’s knowledge development and innovation. New Zealand’s international competitive advantage is linked to the speed of uptake of new knowledge generated from research. New Zealand’s social development is just as dependent on development of new knowledge about New Zealand’s people and society, which can inform debate about the social direction of the country. Both situations require continual improvement in research quality, improved international linkages and collaboration, greater focus on areas of national importance, improved research training and opportunities, and stronger networks with end users.

Research in the tertiary education system serves several different purposes:

Training of new researchers

through incorporation of research into degree programmes, and through research training in postgraduate qualifications

Expansion of knowledge

particularly basic and some strategic research, where the main focus is on developing knowledge for its own sake rather than solving specific problems. While this type of research is a source of innovation over the long term, it is not possible to predict exactly what innovation will arise from it at the start. It can also be difficult to associate innovation with specific basic research in retrospect

Application of knowledge

research which applies knowledge to the solution of specific problems and/or creates new and innovative approaches

Transfer and commercialisation of knowledge

the process of taking new knowledge and, from that, creating information that can be communicated to industry or practitioners, and the process of developing a commercialisable package from research findings.

The expected change – 2002 to 2007

It is expected that TEOs involved with research will develop a more focused research effort based on networks of specialisation and a strong focus on quality and relevance to end users. Decisions about where to specialise will be critical to obtaining greatest value from the limited resources available for research in New Zealand.

It is expected that there will be stronger linkages between TEOs and end users to enable faster uptake of new knowledge and the application of knowledge to create value.

Tertiary education research will have a particular contribution to make to Māori development and advancement, and to cultural and social development. It will provide an evidence base for development and policy initiatives in these areas.

Tertiary education research staff are expected to develop stronger networks nationally and internationally. These networks should bring together expertise within the country from across various organisations. This should be happening within the context of greater research collaboration between all research agencies, including within the tertiary education system, and with Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) and independent research associations.

It is expected that TEOs provide increased support for research students and emerging researchers, with a particular focus on the development of Māori and Pasifika researchers. It is essential that new researchers are trained to meet future research needs, as well as being grounded in the disciplines and knowledge of their research areas.

While it is expected that there will be greater engagement with end users and a focus on knowledge uptake, it is expected that research in the tertiary education sector will continue to address all four purposes referred to above. The continued contribution of the tertiary education sector to basic, and long-term research will be essential. Increases in the amount of applied research undertaken within the tertiary education sector should be in addition to, rather than at the expense of, the current level of engagement in pure basic and strategic research.

The baseline picture in 2002

About one-third of New Zealand’s research investment in 2002 was undertaken by the tertiary education sector. The tertiary education sector was the largest producer of research output (as measured through publications).

The tertiary education sector was an important contributor to pure basic and strategic research¹, with nearly 70 percent of the expenditure in the tertiary education sector being in this area.

Māori research (covering research by Māori, about Māori and/or for Māori) is an emerging field within the tertiary education sector that has considerable creative potential. It has been hampered by limited capacity, as well as by the diversion of experienced researchers into other activities, including management, mentoring and advice on Māori development. The establishment of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (the Māori CoRE) is an important initiative to build capacity in this area.

There are indicators that research from the New Zealand tertiary education sector is of good standard. Research papers from the New Zealand tertiary education sector received a similar level of citation to research papers internationally, given the journals that they are published in. Contract research earnings have increased, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of institutional income. Contract research is often won through competitive bidding and can be subject to rigorous peer review. The establishment of the new PBRF will provide a greater focus on the quality of research work.

The evidence from publications suggests that most research collaboration in the tertiary education sector is international, with much less collaboration taking place between tertiary education organisations within New Zealand.

The recent establishment of the CoREs will help strengthen research collaboration within New Zealand. All but one involve a range of universities and, in several cases, provide links between universities and CRIs.

Both enrolments and completions in PhDs have increased steadily over the last six years. However, Māori and Pasifika students continue to be under-represented at this level.

Further development of monitoring

Future monitoring will focus on the strategic directions being taken by TEOs involved in research production. This will cover issues such as development of specialised research foci, improved networks and collaboration with end users and focus on quality and relevance.

Some information for this will come from charters and profiles. Data from the PBRF process will also provide quantitative measures of research spread, expertise and quality. The evaluations of the PBRF will provide information on the impacts of the new funding arrangements on research activity and quality, and are likely to provide insights on how research is organised within TEOs.

TEO support for research students will also be an area of focus in future monitoring, particularly in terms of increased participation of Māori and Pasifika students in research-based postgraduate degrees and also in terms of the support for research students to take up careers in research.

← High Level Specialist Skills | Home Page | Nature and Coverage of Research →

• Table of Contents

• The Baseline Picture

• Cross Strategy Indicators

• Raise foundation skills

• Skills for our knowledge society

• Strengthen research and knowledge creation

• Te rautaki mātauranga Māori

• Pacific people’s development and success

• Capability and quality

• Technical and Data Definitions