Modern Biotechnology in New Zealand: Further Analysis of Data from the Biotechnology Survey 1998/99

The New Zealand Government has indicated a strong interest in fostering innovation and aims to concentrate on selected areas where New Zealand may be able to develop a new comparative advantage. One such area is biotechnology, which would build on New Zealand's existing comparative advantage in the primary sector dairy, forestry, meat, wool and horticulture). This paper aims to fill some of the gaps in our knowledge of biotechnology and innovation processes in New Zealand. It is based on the 1998/99 survey of modern biotechnology activity in New Zealand conducted by Statistics New Zealand in 2000. The survey was commissioned by the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MORST) mainly in order to produce statistics on the present position of the industry for planning purposes. The findings reported in this paper are based on further analysis of the survey data conducted by the author on behalf of MORST. Data are presented on the number, type and characteristics of enterprises involved in biotechnology in New Zealand. The paper presents data on enterprises that conduct R&D into modern biotech processes and includes analysis of the rate of innovation by biotech respondents compared to OECD estimates. Comparisons are also made between data from the New Zealand and Canadian biotech surveys.