SMC Heads-Up: Indexing innovation and dodging dolphins

SMC Heads-Up: Indexing innovation and dodging dolphins

Issue 233 31 May - 6 Jun 2013

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Innovation buoyed by R&D - report
New Zealand's overall innovation rate has risen in recent years, boosted by increased spending on research and development during the global financial crisis, according to a new report.

This week tech giant IBM released its second Innovation Index, a report drawing on a number of indicators to paint a picture of innovation in New Zealand. The overall Index is a weighted composite of three broad official measures of innovation; Research & Development, Intellectual Property and Business Innovation.

The report found that during the global financial crisis R&D spending actually increased, growing at an average rate of 7.6 per cent per annum between 2007 and 2011. However, growth slowed to 3.7 per cent in 2011 - 2012 as the economy started to recover.

Other key findings include:
- By 2012, nearly 50,000 New Zealanders were employed to conduct R&D, 35,000 in research roles and the remainder in support roles.

- Applied R&D expenditure grew by 46% between 2008-12; much faster than either Experimental R&D (14% growth) or Basic R&D (3.4% growth).

- Intellectual Property registrations per business in each industry fell 5% between 2007 and 2011.

You can read the full report here and explore the data through an interactive graphic here.

A number of innovation experts provided commentaries on the report, highlighting what needs to change to further boost New Zealand's innovation ecosystem.

Prof Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, said:

"Key to science-based innovation is an adequate flow of well-trained scientists, technologists and engineers, combined with experienced entrepreneurs to grow their ideas and exploit their talents. Encouragingly, New Zealand is fortunate in the quality of its scientists, engineers and technologists and we are seeing a new wave of entrepreneurial managers emerging. But there must be an adequate flow of discovery science and new concepts from such science."

Prof Shaun Hendy, Callaghan Innovation Fellow, commented:

"New Zealand's long-term future will depend on its ability to exploit economic opportunities outside its traditional primary sector strengths. To create such opportunities and to maximise the economic value of its investments in innovation, New Zealand will need to diversify its research and development portfolio."

You can read more about the IBM Innovation Index on the SMC website.
On the science radar this week...
Food for thought, robo-bartender, missing moondust rediscovered, projected 'tactile' displays and Friday no good for surgery?
Deep nets could dodge dolphins
Changes to the depth at which fishing trawlers run their nets could drastically reduce the number of common dolphins caught by accident, according to a new study.

Researchers from the independent Wellington research group Dragonfly came to this conclusion after analysing official bycatch data collected by Ministry of Primary Industries observers on mackerel trawlers. Their research was published in in the journal PLOS ONE this week.

Extrapolating from the observer data, the researchers estimated that 626 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) were caught in commercial mackerel trawl nets in New Zealand waters between 1995 and 2011.

Based on their models, the researchers say that increasing trawl net depth by 21 meters could halve the dolphin bycatch.
"I think it is a challenge for [the industry] that they need to confront," said lead researcher Dr Finlay Thompson, speaking to the New Zealand Herald.

"It's not my place to say what they should or shouldn't do, but the impact on the fishery from catching dolphins is increasing in importance by the fact that these kinds of studies are coming out and forcing them to respond."

"There's a fairly large population of common dolphins and they catch quite a few of them, and until we were really reporting on this, I don't think anybody was reporting on the scale of that interaction."

Assoc Prof Matthew Dunn, Victoria University of Wellington's new Chair in Fisheries Science, commented to the SMC:

"Basically, the chance of catching a dolphin increases if you fish near the surface, at night, for a long time, and off the west coast of the North Island. Whether changes to the fishing methods will actually be made is a different matter.

"Unfortunately, dolphins and fishing fleets are chasing the same fish, so avoiding dolphins could mean avoiding the fish too. Whether the nets can really be fished deeper, whilst still catching economical quantities of fish, is now a question for the fishers."

A more extensive analysis of the data can be found in this Ministry for Primary Industries report.

Quoted: TVNZ News

"It sounds narcissistic but the sort of work we've covered here, it's good if it can be aired a bit."

Massey's Dr Jeff Simpson humbly promotes his research on narcissism in graduate employees.

New from the SMC

Experts Respond:

BPA research: Experts comment on new animal research showing prenatal exposure to plastic component BPA is linked to changes in gene expression and behaviour.

NSAIDs risk: Experts respond to a new review confirming the links between anti-inflammatory drugs and cardiovascular problems.

IBM Index: Where is innovation at in NZ? Experts respond to the latest national data provided by IBM.
In the News:

Slow Kapiti quake: There's an earthquake happening in Wellington right now - but you won't feel it.

Sciblogs highlights

Some of the highlights from this week's posts:

Shirking air traffic controllers -Eric Crampton directs our attention to a fascinating example of stress malingering in the air industry.
Dismal Science

Herceptin: the long and the short of it - John Pickering looks at the current trials exploring a controversial breast cancer medication.
Kidney Punch

Alpine Fault 101: Getting acquainted with New Zealand's greatest natural hazard - The country's largest fault will rupture in the near future (quite possibly in your lifetime), without any prior warning, writes Jesse Dykstra.
Shaken Not Stirred

The ticker-tape car - A trail of oil on the road gives up its secrets to Marcus Wilson.
Physics Stop

Cats indoors Karori... killing-fields Kelburn- Wayne Linklater calls on communities to engage with cats-to-go debate at the local level, doing their own their own research on their suburban ecosystems.
PolitEcol Science

Research highlights

Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.

Dolphin bycatch: An estimated 626 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) were caught in commercial mackerel trawl nets in New Zealand waters between 1995 and 2011, according to new research based on data collected by onboard observers. Based on their models, the researchers say that increasing trawl net depth by 21 meters could halve the dolphin bycatch.
PLOS ONE
Taking the pressure off stroke: A large-scale Australian study has shown that rapidly lowering patients' blood pressure after a stroke reduces the risk of major negative physiological or psychological outcomes and improves chances of recovery by as much as 20 percent.
New England Journal of Medicine
Hide the cookies: As the debate over drug legislation heats up in NZ, US research has highlighted an unexpected side effect of looser drugs laws: unintentional consumption of cannabis products by children. An analysis of presentations at a Colorado hospital found that incidents of children unwittingly consuming cannabis containing foods or liquids jumped after the state legalised marijuana.
JAMA Paediatrics

Water on the red planet: New data from the Mars Rover Curiosity has given the best evidence yet that water once flowed on the surface of Mars. Photos and video from the rover have captured a channel lined with rounded pebbles mixed in alternating layers with sand-sized particles -- a dead give away of a once free-flowing gravel stream.
Science

Policy updates

Some of the policy highlights from this week:

Student R&D grants: Callaghan Innovation is taking applications for the Government's R&D Student Grants scheme. The grants enable business to employ students from science, technology, engineering, design, or marketing degrees.

Suicide prevention: Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne this week unveiled a 30-point plan aimed at preventing suicide in New Zealand. The initiatives put forward will receive $25 million in funding over four years.

Upcoming sci-tech events

• The New Zealand Climate Change Conference 2013 - 4-5 June, Palmerston North.
• Food for thought: experts on how early life and diet determines life-long metabolic fate - Gravida one-day seminar - 5 June, Auckland.
• NZ's Waistline - what will it take to fix it? Edgar Centre Symposium - 7 June, Wellington.
• For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar.

ENDS

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