I received a letter yesterday from the Prime Minister, Helen Clark. It invited me to attend a Regional Business and Central Government Economic Forum on 30th October.
A number of Ministers will be joining the PM and I have elected to attend the Tertiary Education, Research & Development workshop being chaired by the Minister of Finance, Hon Dr Michael Cullen. The workshop will discuss the particular challenges and opportunities specific to economic growth in the Western Bay of Plenty.
I have blogged before about the importance of tertiary education and its potential impact on R & D in the Bay. Pingar's recent work with the University of Waikato is evidence of this.
Back in 2003, when I was still based in the UK, I was asked to provide oral evidence to the House of Lords Science & Technology Select Committee investigating 'Science and Regional Development Agencies'. You can read a summary of its report here.
Support for Research & Development activity is a key task for regional and central government. Without the correct frameworks in place, government organisations and the private sector will not deliver. At a time when a key focus in New Zealand, like so much of the world, is on developing a 'Knowledge-based Economy', meetings such as the upcoming Economic Forum in Tauranga are essential to build the strategic platform from which a meaningful Research & Development policy can be delivered.
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