FRST Major Website Upgrade

Media Statement 23 January 2002

Major Website Upgrade

The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology has upgraded and relaunched its website http://www.frst.govt.nz to make it easier for regular customers and also for first time visitors to use the site. The redesign of the site followed a major review of both the FRST and Technology New Zealand sites by web site design specialists - Motive.

Information Technology Manager, Jason Bartlett, says the review by Motive showed that there was a need to integrate the two sites and then to refocus them on our key audiences to make it easier for people to navigate. He says the original FRST site was difficult to navigate but had been designed several years ago and was clearly out-of-date in terms of its design.

Mr Bartlett says the new site has four distinct sections - Research Investment and Partnership, Students and Fellows, Business and Technology and Maori. Each of these sections is colour coded and this theme is constant throughout the site enabling visitors to the site to track where they are at any given time.

Mr Bartlett says the new homepage sets out the role of the Foundation and also enables users to quickly go to areas of the site that are commonly used such as publications and downloads, news and media, events and the database of research funded by the Foundation. A feature of the new site is a section focusing on the interaction of Maori with the Foundation, which opens with a Powhiri.

Other features of the new site include:

* A new site search function
* Full integration of the Technology New Zealand Site
* Simplified presentation of key Foundation processes
* Government Business Assistance Search tool which looks at the assistance available from the Foundation, Trade New Zealand and Industry New Zealand
* Glossary of terms
* FRSTpost - keeping stakeholders informed of Foundation processes via email Jason Bartlett says the FRST web site is a very important communication and business tool for the Foundation and he's confident it will make it easier for people to interact with the organisation. Late last year the Foundation also upgraded its intranet as part of a strategic move to improve internal communications within the organisation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT JASON BARTLETT, IT MANAGER, FRST 04 917 7800

Peter Burke Communications Manager Foundation for Research Science and Technology DDI 04 917 7809 or mobile 025 2242184

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