Programmes funded through the Strategic Science Investment Fund

SSIF Programmes is structured around science platforms and programmes. A science platform is 'a combination of people, facilities, information and knowledge that provide a particular, ongoing science and innovation capability for New Zealand'.

Further description of the principles underlying the science platforms can be found in the SSIF Investment Plan.

Crown Research Institute platforms

In 2017 we ran a process to transfer $193 million of funding per year from CRI core funding into 16 SSIF science platforms across the 7 CRIs.

The CRI platforms are aligned to the core purpose of each CRI and support the unique and deep capability that each CRI has in main research areas.

SSIF currently funds the following CRI platforms:

• AgResearch
• The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR)
• GNS Science
• Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research
• National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
• Plant and Food Research
• Scion.

Independent Research Organisation platforms

In 2018 we ran a process to transfer $5.9 million of funding per year from Independent Research Organisation (IRO) capability funding into 3 SSIF science platforms across 2 IROs.

SSIF currently funds:

• Cawthron Institute
• NZ Leather & Shoe Research Association (LASRA).

Contracts run from 1 July 2018 until 30 June 2024.

Antarctic Science platform

The Government is investing $49 million over 7 years in a SSIF platform for Antarctic science. The goals of the platform are to:

• improve scientific understanding of pressing issues such as climate change and ecosystem resilience
• safeguard the strategic benefits of New Zealand’s scientific activity in Antarctica
• optimise the value and impact of Antarctic science and Antarctic-related expenditure.

Advanced Energy Technology platform

Advanced Energy Technology is technology at the frontier of innovation, with the potential to advance and disrupt global energy markets. We define advanced energy technology as:

engineering, physical and biological sciences research developing technologies at the frontier of transforming the way we produce, use, manage, and store energy.

These technologies will have the potential to radically shift the global energy landscape and develop market opportunities for New Zealand.

The SSIF Advanced Energy Technology platform intends to:

• support and develop world-leading research capability in niche areas of advanced energy science
• enable New Zealand to contribute to, and benefit from, opportunities in international technology markets
• deliver on the Government’s advanced energy technology investment goals.

The following programmes are currently funded under the SSIF Advanced Energy Technology platform:

• The Research Trust of Victoria University of Wellington for their programme “High power electric motors for large-scale transport”
• University of Waikato for their programme “Ahuora: Delivering sustainable industry through smart process heat decarbonisation”
• University of Canterbury for their programme “Architecture of the future low-carbon, resilient, electrical power system”.

• GNS Science for their programme “Aotearoa: Green Hydrogen Technology Platform”. 

Infectious Disease Research platform

The Government is investing $36 million over 3 years in a SSIF Infectious Disease Research platform to ensure New Zealand has world class research capability to respond to serious infectious disease threats. The investment objectives of this research platform are to:

• Deliver an integrated research programme in partnership with researchers, clinicians, Māori, and New Zealand Pacific Peoples.
• Demonstrate research excellence that builds New Zealand’s capability in infectious disease research and research translation.
• Contribute to international research through collaborations in infectious disease research.
• Contribute to strengthened collaboration between researchers, clinicians, health agencies, Māori, and New Zealand Pacific Peoples.
• Contribute to improving health outcomes and increasing equity of health outcomes.
• Contribute to significantly lifting New Zealand’s infectious disease response and management capability.
• Addressing key gaps and creating an agile and integrated research and response system.
• Contribute to increasing New Zealand’s preparedness and readiness for infectious disease outbreaks.

Data Science platform

The SSIF Data Science platform intends to:

• significantly lift New Zealand’s capability
• support and encourage dynamic and world class data science research.
• deliver on the Government’s data science investment goals:
  • to make sure New Zealand has sufficient advanced data science capability to develop useful and transformative data science techniques, and to
  • create benefits for New Zealand.

The following programmes are currently funded under the SSIF Data Science platform:

• The Research Trust of Victoria University of Wellington for the programme “A data-science driven evolution of aquaculture for building the blue economy”
• Te Hiku Media for the programme “A language platform for a multilingual Aotearoa”
• University of Waikato for the programme “Time-Evolving Data Science / Artificial Intelligence for Advanced Open Environmental Science”
• University of Auckland for their programme “Beyond Prediction: explanatory and transparent data science”.

Ngā Rakau Taketake – combatting kauri dieback and myrtle rust

Kauri dieback and myrtle rust are threatening several of New Zealand's taonga species, including kauri and pohutukawa. The New Zealand's Biological Heritage (NZBH) National Science Challenge is working closely with Māori and a wide range of stakeholders to develop a strategic science investment (SSIF) platform of research to combat these diseases.

More information about Ngā Rakau Taketake – combatting kauri dieback and myrtle rust

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) Development Platform

The Government is investing $69.5 million excluding GST over 7 years in a Strategic Science Investment Fund (SSIF) Platform for Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) development.

This is to ensure New Zealand has well-connected and world-class research capability to strengthen the use and commercialisation of RNA technology.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) Development Platform