The Centres of Research Excellence (CoREs) are interorganisational research networks in New Zealand funded through the Centres of Research Excellence scheme, which is administered by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).
History The scheme was set up in 2002 with the aim "to build networks to connect high-performing researchers in the university system". A 2001 review of university research by TEC had revealed a fragmented research system, which did not encourage collaboration and was based on the number of students enrolled or on a small and short term agreed programme of research, and could not be applied strategically to fund areas of importance to New Zealand's development. The CoRE fund and the Performance Based Research Fund were set up as complementary funds to address these problems. The CoREs were intended to be networks of "high-performing researchers" that would be "strategically focused and linked to New Zealand’s future economic and societal needs, of excellent quality, and transferable."
The initial funding round distributed $260 million, with a further capital investment of $50 million, from 2001/02 to 2011/12. The initial centres were established in 2002, after a selection process run by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
Five CoREs were selected in 2002, with another two chosen in a second round in 2003. These seven CoREs were allocated funding for six years. There was a mid-term review after three years, with funding for the remaining three years to be confirmed on the basis of an assessment of performance to date. An assessment by the Ministry of Education in 2013 concluded that "the work of the CoREs has had wide-ranging impacts on New Zealand's society and economy".
Four further contestable funding rounds have been run, in 2006/07, 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2019/20. There are currently (as of 2023) ten CoREs, which are funded until 31 December 2028. The fund is $49.8 million per annum (GST exclusive).
In 2022 another national centre of excellence was established, He Whenua Taurikura, New Zealand’s National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. (This centre does not appear to be funded by the CoRE fund but has been included in the table below for completeness.)
List of Centres of Research Excellence +NameHostDirector(s)StartEndFundingWebsiteBioprotection Aotearoa (previously Bio-Protection Research Centre)Lincoln UniversityAmanda Black and Travis Glare (previously Alison Stewart)2002/032028$31.5M over 8 years (2003–2010)websiteNgā Pae o te Māramatanga – New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research ExcellenceUniversity of AucklandLinda Smith and Michael Walker2002/032028$34.5M over 9 years (2002–2010)websiteThe Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular BiodiscoveryUniversity of AucklandGreg Cook (previously Ted Baker)2002/032028$33.4M over 9 years (2002–2010)websiteMacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and NanotechnologyVictoria University of WellingtonNicola Gaston (initially Paul Callaghan)2002/032028$13.39M over 3 years and a one-off $9.8M capital grantwebsiteAllan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and EvolutionMassey UniversityDavid Penny and Mike Hendy2002/032015$26.8M over 9 years (2002–2010)Gravida: National Research Centre for Growth and DevelopmentUniversity of AucklandPhilip Baker (previously Peter Gluckman)2002/032015New Zealand Institute of Mathematics and its ApplicationsUniversity of AucklandVaughan Jones and Marston Conder2002/032008$4.855M over 3 years and a one-off $113,970 capital grantDodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Te Whai AoUniversity of OtagoDavid Hutchinson2014/152028websiteHealthy Hearts for Aotearoa New Zealand – Pūtahi MānawaUniversity of AucklandAnna Rolleston and Julian Paton20202028websiteCoastal People: Southern SkiesUniversity of OtagoChris Hepburn and Anne-Marie Jackson20202028websiteTe Hiranga Rū QuakeCoRE: Aotearoa New Zealand Centre for Earthquake ResilienceUniversity of CanterburyBrendon Bradley2014/152028Second allocation: $31.5M over seven years from 2020websiteRiddet Institute (National Centre for Research Excellence in Food Science)Massey UniversityHarjinder Singh20082028$11M over 3 years (2008–2010)websiteTe Pūnaha Matatini – Aotearoa New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence for Complex SystemsUniversity of AucklandShaun Hendy, Priscilla Wehi, Markus Luczak-Roesch,https://www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/2023/11/06/new-co-director-for-te-punaha-matatini/ 20132028websiteMedical TechnologiesUniversity of AucklandDiana Siew and Peter Hunter2021websiteBrain Research New ZealandUniversity of Auckland and University of Otago2021He Whenua Taurikura, National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent ExtremismVictoria University of WellingtonJoanna Kidman and Paul Spoonley2022$1.325M for the year beginning 1 July 2022 and $2.15M for each subsequent yearwebsite
Defunded CoREs Two centres that were funded in 2002/03 failed to get further funding after 2015: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, hosted by Massey University. Gravida: National Research Centre for Growth and Development, hosted by the University of Auckland Two others were funded until mid-2021: Brain Research New Zealand (BRNZ), co-hosted by the University of Auckland and the University of Otago Medical Technologies, hosted by the University of Auckland The New Zealand Institute of Mathematics and its Applications was funded for six years from 2002.
See also Cooperative Research Centres (Australia) Center of excellence
References
External links
Association of Centres of Research Excellence website