Government proposes changes to research fund

By John Gerritsen. Eleven years after the introduction of the country's NZ$250 million (US$195 million) research fund for tertiary institutions, the New Zealand government is proposing only minor changes to it. The Performance Based Research Fund, or PBRF, has evaluated the quality of research at institutions that provide degrees and postgraduate qualifications three times since it was introduced in 2002 and is now under review. The government has published a discussion document and is now consulting on possible changes to the scheme, which will be worth NZ$300 million (US$234 million) a year by the 2016-17 financial year. More...