Early Career Researcher Forum: Response to the Government’s University Reform Announcement

The Government’s reforms highlight the importance and the need to align teaching and research with New Zealand’s future workforce and innovation needs. While these initiatives are a positive step, they will fall short unless they directly address systemic and structural challenges that Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and the wider research ecosystem face.

Supporting the Research Workforce
ECRs are the next generation of scholars driving the “cutting-edge research that powers economic growth.” However, many face precarious employment, short-term contracts, and limited career security. Without stable funding pathways and equitable opportunities across universities, Private Research Organisations (PROs; formerly CRIs), Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs), and private industry, New Zealand risks losing highly skilled researchers to other countries or sectors. This loss undermines both workforce development and innovation.

Funding Models and Overheads
The reforms seek to cut red tape and simplify research funding, which is welcome. Yet, the current system of excessive institutional overheads remains a critical barrier. Institutional overheads of 100–300% - well above international norms - divert research funds away from actual projects and disproportionately disadvantage ECRs. This limits postdoctoral opportunities, fragments research teams, and creates inefficiencies that blunt the impact of government investment. For the reforms to succeed, research grants must fund research directly, while core institutional costs should be supported through stable base funding.

Equity Across Institutions and Disciplines
To build the skilled workforce New Zealand needs, equitable distribution of research support is vital. Recent fellowship and grant schemes have disproportionately favoured universities, with minimal awards going to PROs and ITPs, despite these sectors’ strong links to industry and communities. Similarly, the current focus on STEM sidelines the humanities and social sciences, whose contributions are essential for addressing complex social, cultural, and environmental challenges. International funding systems (e.g., Horizon Europe) demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary approaches that integrate STEM, social, and creative disciplines.

Collaboration and Retention
The proposed University Strategy Group provides an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between universities, government, and industry. To be effective, it must also ensure pathways for ECR development, mobility across institutions, and retention of mid-career and senior research leaders. Co-funded initiatives with industry, visiting fellowships, and sabbatical opportunities would help retain talent while producing work-ready graduates who can move fluidly between academia, industry, and government.

In conclusion, the success of the Government’s reforms will depend on effectively addressing systemic barriers, particularly funding models, equitable access across communities, disciplines and institutions, and the long-term sustainability of the research workforce. If reforms fail to tackle these underlying issues, New Zealand risks undermining its own goals of building a skilled workforce and globally competitive research
sector.