Hon Steven Joyce

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
28 September 2016 Media Statement

Impact of NZ’s academic research rising

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed figures that show the impact of New Zealand’s academic research has been rising when compared with the rest of the world.

A report released today, Profile and Trends, New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Research, shows the rate of citation of New Zealand’s research is now 1.26 times the world average.

“The high quality of New Zealand’s academic research is one reason why the Government has felt confident to invest more in key funding instruments like the Performance-Based Research Fund, the Marsden Fund, and the Health Research Fund.”

“In Budget 2016 the Government invested $761 million over four years in theInnovative New Zealand package across science, skills, tertiary education and regional development initiatives. The Government’s increasing investment in these areas will further improve the quality of research in New Zealand,” says Mr Joyce.

“It’s also encouraging to see the number of students enrolled in doctoral qualifications in 2015 has increased by a further 2 per cent on the previous year”, says Mr Joyce.

Since 2005, the number of domestic graduates completing doctorates has increased on average by 2 per cent each year, while the numbers of international students completing doctorates in New Zealand have increased by around 25 per cent each year.

“Highly skilled people like these are an essential component of our 21st century workforce. This government is committed to investing in research, science and innovation. Those with PhD’s will play a vital role in this.”

“The focus on encouraging students into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects is also paying off. It’s great to see that engineering and related technologies doctorates have increased from 9.4 per cent in 2010 to 14 per cent last year.

“The report also found that the number of Māori enrolling in doctorates increased by 14 per cent between 2010-2015 and by 20 per cent for Pasifika.”

A copy of the report can be found HERE

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