Research organisation schemes:
Evaluation of Building and Construction Research

Evaluation Unit, Foundation? for Research, Science and Technology, research user survey completed by Andrew Fletcher Consulting, 2005.

Scope:

Responses were obtained from 118 of the 357 organisations, 33%, identified as known or potential users of research, science and technology. These users comprised industry associations, government bodies, companies, and consultants (engineers and architects). In an attempt to ensure representation of this large industry 68 user associations were included in the list. Eight of the larger user associations were included in face-to-face interviews, and a further 18 responded to web surveys, a 38% response rate. There were 27 face-to-face interviews in total.

Summary:

Most respondents rated R&D as important to both their industry and organisation. The strengths of Foundation-funded research were identified as: the existence of an independent source of funding for R&D in building and construction; which can fund things not commercially related; ensure a research capability exists; and which has been innovative in encouraging industry involvement. The different segments, industry associations, consultants, companies, and government bodies, have different levels of awareness of R&D and experience different benefits.

Awareness of Foundation-funded Research

41% of all respondents were aware of Technology New Zealand. 36% of all respondents were aware of Foundation Scholarship programs. Approximately half, 51%, of all respondents were aware of one or more of the individual Foundation-funded programs on the building and construction research list.

There are fewer PGS&T programs in this sector than in other sectors. More users were aware of individual programs than in some other sectors. At least 6 users were at least aware of each individual program. Respondents to the survey had key alliances with 18 of the 22 programs (82%). More users were aware of Foundation-funded BRANZ programs than any other programs, both within this sector and in other sectors recently surveyed. On average one third of all respondents were aware of each of the BRANZ programs.

Benefits from Foundation-funded Research

Building and construction users, as in other sectors, rated technical solutions to technical problems as the highest contribution to their business. New or improved products were rated the second highest contribution to user’s business. More users said technical solutions to technical problems were applicable to their business than other outcomes.

Overall for the sector the two most important benefits were Goods and services for the New Zealand market and Improved human health, safety, and well-being. Of those aware of Foundation-funded research in building and construction 61% received positive benefits.

In comparison to other sectors, fewer building and construction users were aware of Foundation funded research, fewer building and construction users reported benefits, and fewer types of benefits per user were achieved.

Other issues

Other questions regarding: relationships with research providers; factors preventing use of Foundation-funded research, suggested changes, issues that need addressing, and general comments all raised the following issues:

• The lack of information about Foundation-funded research.
• A lack of understanding of the Foundation and how it operates and a desire to be at least informed and preferably involved.
• The need for an industry research, science and technology strategy and a desire to collaborate in producing such a strategy and determining research, science and technology priorities.
• Better co-ordination and collaboration between Building Research and the Foundation.

Conclusions

Research and development in building and construction has a number of unique features:

• There is an industry levy for research and development, managed by Building Research. Historically this has been invested principally in BRANZ Ltd*.
• The industry levy for R&D means that the Foundation’s investment is not the only large contribution to R&D within the sector. The Foundation’s investment and the industry levy investment are similar in magnitude.
• BRANZ Ltd is sector-specific, an industry sponsored and managed research provider.
• The sector is large and very diverse. It contains one of the largest New Zealand companies, Fletcher Building, and many of the smallest, eg. individual builders, plumbers, architects etc. The sector also covers a wide range of interests, from commercial companies to government regulators.

For research, science and technology to have a higher priority in the sector more and/or different independent involvement by industry associations and industry is required. This would create better understanding both of industry by science providers and science by industry. There are a large number of industry associations within the sector. Few of them are co-funding Foundation-funded research and few have significant research budgets.

(* Over the period 2002 to 2005 Building Research and BRANZ Ltd have progressively been formally separated to strengthen the distinction between Building Research as an investor of the Building Research Levy and the role of BRANZ Ltd as an industry service provider. At the time of the survey, March – April 2005, the separate badging of the two institutions was underway, however the distinction between Building Research and BRANZ Ltd may not have been clear in the industry.)

Related work

Portfolio Evaluations 2001 to 2005, Consolidated Report on Portfolio-Based Evaluations of Performance of Foundation-Funded RS&T. Foundation for Research Science and Technology, 2005.