Early Career Researcher Forum: Response to the first report from SSAG
The Early Career Researcher Forum Committee of the Royal Society Te Apārangi has responded to the first report from the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) and the Government’s Reform of New Zealand’s science, innovation and technology system.
The Royal Society Te Apārangi Early Career Researcher (ECR) forum is a group of researchers within ten years of achieving their highest research qualification and navigating careers within the research sector. We welcome the first SSAG report underscoring the importance of the breadth of activity that makes up the science and research sector (including mātauranga Māori, humanities, creative disciplines, as well as disciplines more classically associated with science and research); increasing diversity and inclusion within the system; and that people are at the centre of the sector. Meaningful consultation with ECRs going forward is critical for successful implementation of system reforms and for ensuring researchers, in the broadest sense, are able to pursue meaningful careers in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The first SSAG report highlights the precarity for ECRs within the current system, who are often on short-term contracts and feel pressured to relocate overseas due to the lack of opportunity in Aotearoa. A key driver of ECR precarity is chronic underfunding of the science system, which must be addressed in any system reform. Future reform must include actions to address the precarity of ECRs, but also a focus on increasing diversity and inclusion in the sector through investment in capacity and capability, especially for Māori and Pacific Peoples. Creating and maintaining strong ties between industry and tertiary institutions through PhD programs will facilitate secure pathways for graduates and be instrumental in shaping the future of the sector.
ECRs are an important part of the reformation since ECRs represent the future of Aotearoa’s science, innovation, and technology system. Therefore, we request that the government and leadership within CRIs meaningfully include ECRs in all future consultations about system reforms, particularly when designing and implementing the new programmes and organisations. One way to do this is through engaging ECRs within the Science New Zealand Early Career Member Group and the many Early Career groups currently active within Crown Research Institutes (CRI). This engagement will be essential for designing an equitable and sustainable transition from CRIs to Public Research Organisations. The creation of the Prime Minister’s Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council (PMSITAC) also presents an opportunity for engagement with ECRs to ensure future changes to the system are successful.
If you’re an Early Career Researcher with specific concerns or suggestions on how to respond to these recommendations and decisions, please feel free to get in touch with the ECR Forum Committee (rsnzecrforum@gmail.com) and sign up for our listserv.