Building connectivity at the research-policy interface in Aotearoa through a public sector postdoctoral fellowship scheme

Abstract

Improving connectivity at the research-policy interface and supporting career development for early career researchers are twin goals of government-funded research systems in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally. The Aotearoa Ministry for Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) began the process of overhauling the research system to achieve these, and other, goals through Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways programme in 2021. Here, I propose a public sector postdoctoral fellowship scheme to place PhD graduates into roles within central government agencies, which MBIE could implement during the first phase of Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways reforms. The Fellowship would strengthen collaboration at the research-policy interface and provide a low investment, high impact, opportunity to retain talent in Aotearoa by developing flexible career pathways for PhD graduates.

Taming a ‘fuzzy beast’? Stakeholder perspectives on Antarctic science-policy knowledge exchange practices in New Zealand

“…For instance, the need for greater inclusivity, strategic leadership and clearer policy directives to better align policy priorities with evidence syntheses in NZ's freshwater sector have been identified as imperatives for improving the science-policy dialogues that underpin freshwater policy development [89]. Further exacerbating these challenges is in an overall misalignment between NZ's government strategic priorities on environmental issues and the allocation of research funds, which creates a major barrier at the NZ SPI across a range of environmental issues including those that relate to Antarctica [90][91][92][93]. In terms of opportunities to improve the SPI, shifts towards participatory approaches have enabled creative decision-making practices that allow space for multiple knowledge systems in NZ's Integrated Coastal Management sector [63].…”

“…Epistemological and competency barriers may be overcome by capacity building in both science and policy communities [97]. Ideas included providing mentorship and training opportunities for ECRs to learn about the policy context within which their research might have an impact e.g., through secondment schemes that place ECRs within relevant policy settings [93,96]. Additional workshops like those we ran for the purposes of this study were also seen as effective venues for stimulating discussions among science and policy actors and, if facilitated well, an effective way to build trust and mutual understandings across diverse expertise areas.…”