The government has announced significant changes to how research funding will be applied for and allocated.
The new system has been billed as significantly simpler - primarily by shifting the administration of multiple funds (Endeavour, Marsden, Strategic Science Investment Fund) under a single new entity, Research Funding New Zealand.
How these new funds will be allocated, and whether the goals of the previous funds (i.e., a mixture blue skies and applied research) will be taken into account is currently unclear.
In time, Research Funding New Zealand will also absorb the responsibilities of the Health Research Council.
These changes ultimately place a huge amount of decision-making power with a small team but until it has been tested it is unclear what affect this will have on how science is undertaken in Aotearoa.