4 November 2016
S Muthu
[FYI request #4581 email]
Ref: DOIA 1617-0332
Dear S Muthu
Thank you for your email of 8 September 2016 requesting, under the Official Information Act
1982, the following information:
I would like to see ledgers for all the active national science challenges. Individual items not
necessary. Summaries by category is fine (salary overhead) but any costs related to administration
should be separated from research spend.
As well could you provide a list of all awarded grantees, institutions and allocated funding also from
NSCs.
MBIE does not hold the ledgers of National Science Challenges (NSCs); however, we can
provide information from the Challenge’s annual reports to MBIE for the 2015/16 financial
year (as shown in Table 1).
When reviewing the information it is important to understand that funding is available to the
NSCs for an initial period of up to five years as a multi-year appropriation (MYA). We have
provided this figure for each NSC under the heading “5 year allocation”. The MYA enables
the money invested in a NSC to be phased according to the NSCs needs, given that
research activity can be uneven depending, for example, on the timing of trials and
experiments. Furthermore, many of the NSCs were established over the reporting period
and so have not yet allocated all of their research funds. In future years their spend on
research will be significantly higher than the figures provided in Table 1.
You should also note that the information on “Organisations receiving Challenge research
funds” only lists lead contractors. The NSCs are highly collaborative, and for this reason the
funding allocated to an individual research organisation will often include subcontracts to
other organisations. We do not hold information about these subcontracts and so cannot
provide them to you.
Furthermore, as part of annual reporting we asked the NSCs to provide us with information
on contracts greater than $100,000. Although some NSCs did report contracts that were
less than this amount, some did not, so Table 1 will not include all funded projects.
We are not able to provide overhead components in the breakdown as we do not hold this
information.
Finally, when reviewing the table it is also important to understand how Challenge costs
were defined. Table 2 provides the definition of Challenge costs and the sub-categories:
salary and related costs, management costs and governance costs.
Table 1: National Science Challenge Annual Reporting information on Challenge costs and
research allocations
Figures are approximate and have been extracted from the National Science Challenges 2015/16 Annual
Reporting documentation. All figures exclude GST.
2015/16 total actual expenditure for
Challenge costs
2015/16 Organisations receiving
Including but not limited to:
Challenge research funds
National Science
5 year
•
Salary and related costs
Given the complex nature of
Challenge
allocation
•
Governance costs
contracting and sub-contracting
•
Management costs – does
undertaken within the Challenges,
not include overheads of
these figures are approximate
personnel costs
Total - $199,000
•
Salary and related costs -
A Better Start
$14.2m
$168,000
N/A 1
E Tipu e Rea
•
Governance costs - $5,000
•
Management costs - $27,000
Total - $1,793,531
University of Otago - $402,887.00
Total - $501,720
The University of Auckland -
Ageing Well
$608,829.86
Kia eke kairangi ki
•
Salary and related costs -
$14.6m
$363,090
Centre for Research, Evaluation and
te
•
Governance costs - $41,777
Social Assessment (CRESA) -
taikaumātuatanga
•
Management costs - $96,852
$470,000.00
Auckland University of Technology -
$311,815.00
Total - $271,092
AUT university - $30,000.00
Auckland University - $17,598.10
University of Canterbury -
$13,100.11
Lincoln University - $12,236.14
Massey University - $15,000.00
Otago University - $10,000.00
Building Better
People and Places Ltd - $8,723.20
Homes, Towns
Total - $168,182
Victoria University - $11,979.08
and Cities
$23.6m
•
Salary and related costs – N/A2
Waikato University - $18,362.32
Ko ngā wā kāinga
•
Governance costs - $8,469 Suzanne Wilkinson - $5,000.00
hei
•
Management costs – N/A3
Mahi Maioro Professionals -
whakamāhorahora
$8,757.76
Toa Waaka - $10,500.00
Te Rangitawhia Whakatapu
Matauranga - $6,247.07
CRESA - $17,536.50
SCION - $5,000.00
Motu - $5,000.00
Opus - $5,347.45
BRANZ - $70,705.00
1 A Better Start’s final approval of research projects took place on 1 July 2016, and hence the
Challenge did not execute subcontracts for research in 2015/16
2 For Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities an honorary payment of $40,000 was paid to the
Challenge Co-Directors during the establishment phase. Based on MBIE annual reporting definitions
this payment was not reported as a ‘Salary and related costs’ because it was not defined as a salary.
3 For Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities during the reporting period no management team was
in place, other than the Director.
Total - $2,733,971
NIWA - $1,175,895.00
University of Otago - $116,500.00
The University of Canterbury -
$296,478.00
Research Trust of Victoria
University of Wellington -
$557,429.00
University of Auckland - $76,404.00
Total - $302,000
Boedeker Scientific - $209,500.00
The Deep South
Landcare Research New Zealand -
•
Salary and related costs -
Te K
$51,750.00
ōmata o Te
$24.0m
$143,000
Massey University - $62,000.00
Tonga
•
Governance costs - $147,000
Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust -
•
Management costs - $12,000
$35,750.00
Scion - $24,000.00
ESR - $10,500.00
He Oranga mo ngā - $18,000.00
Te Rangitāwhia Whakatupu
Mātauranga - $29,000.00
Maungahararu-Tangituu Trust -
$8,400.00
Motu - $19,050.00
Others - $43,315.00
Total - $344,000
Total - $1,575,039
Healthier Lives
•
Salary and related costs -
University of Otago - $612,055
$13.7m
$246,000
University of Auckland - $573,831
He Oranga Hauora
•
Governance costs - $38,000
Uniservices - $213,610
•
Management costs - $60,000
University of Waikato - $175,543
Total - $4,050,282
AgResearch Limited - $702,285
University of Auckland -
$664,920
NZ Institute for Plant & Food
Research -$643,886
University of Otago - $622,390
Massey University - $545,657
High-Value
Total - $930,000
Malaghan Institute of Medical
Nutrition
•
Salary and related costs -
Research - $292,000
$30.6m
$452,000
MRINZ - $225,000
Ko Ngā Kai Whai
The Cawthron Institute Trust Board -
Painga
•
Governance costs - $48,000
•
Management costs - $431,000
$128,208
Lincoln University - $64,945
Mainly Consulting - $54,000
PwC New Zealand - $53,893
Victoria University Wellington -
$48,958
Drummond Food Science Advisory
Ltd - $4,140
Total - $1,449,676
New Zealand's
Total - $790,220
Landcare Research - $655,000
Biological
•
Salary and related costs -
Lincoln University - $364,676
Heritage
$25.8m
$351,591
Victoria University of Wellington -
Ngā Koiora Tuku
•
Governance costs - $138,375
$200,000
Iho
•
Management costs - $50,469
Waikato University - $30,000
Canterbury University - $200,000
Total - $836,283
Our Land and
Total - $529,508
Water
•
Salary and related costs -
$27.6m
NIWA - $203,000
$694,874
Toitū te Whenua,
University of Otago - $246,508
•
Governance costs - $54,112
Toiora te Wai
Lincoln University - $80,000
•
Management costs - $58,710
Total - $3,285,600
University of Canterbury - $487200
The University of Auckland -
$342000
Resilience to
The University of Auckland -
Total - $295,820
Nature’s
$362200
Challenges
•
Salary and related costs -
Massey University - $385000
$19.6m
$251,145
Opus International Consultants -
Kia manawaroa -
•
Governance costs - $21,024
$289000
Ngā Ākina o Te Ao
•
Management costs - $23,651
Market Economics - $296200
Tūroa
GNS Science - $301500
Massey University - $241000
University of Canterbury - $352000
Resilient Organisations - $222500
The University of Auckland - $7000
Science for
Total - $406,166
Technological
Total - $1,687,500
Innovation
•
Salary and related costs -
Victoria University - $562,500
$33.3m
$161,169
Kia kotahi mai - Te
Lincoln Agritech - $562,500
Ao P
•
Governance costs - $4,893
ūtaiao me Te
University of Canterbury - $562,500
Ao Hangarau
•
Management costs - $240,104
Total - $1,553,035
Total - $319,052
Landcare Research - $405,435
Sustainable Seas
University of Auckland - $334,150
$31.3m
•
Salary and related costs -
Ko ng
Cawthron Institute - $214,756
ā moana
$151,052
University of Otago - $181,341
whakauka
•
Governance costs - $134,000
Waikato-Tainui - $115,750
•
Management costs - $34,000
Whetu Consulting - $45,000
NIWA - $256,603
Table 2: Definitions of Challenge costs
Data field
Details
Actual expenditure for
Includes all non-research costs of running the Challenge (including elements
Challenge costs
reported separately below)
Actual expenditure for
Includes salaries for Challenge Director and other Head Office staff. Does not
salary and related costs
include payments to Board members.
Actual expenditure for
Costs associated with operating the Challenge governance entity. Includes
governance costs
expenses for governance entity members e.g. travel, accommodation, fees;
meeting costs; administration and secretarial support for entity.
Actual expenditure for
Costs associated with managing and administering the Challenge as a vehicle for
management costs (does
research and related activities. Includes costs of management and administrative
not include overheads of
activities, communications activity and public reporting.
personnel costs)
I trust that you find the information helpful.
Yours sincerely
Danette Olsen
Manager, Strategic Investments
Science System Investment and Performance
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
