Building our mission-led research programme

Sally told participants at a webinar she delivered in June 2022 at the request of the International Social Capital Association that the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge (SfTI) has been designed according to modern thinking on delivering tangible impact.

“How do you get collaboration when everything in most science systems goes against that, because they are so intensely competitive?”

As well as heading SfTI, Sally is a Professor of Management at the Wellington School of Business and Government and former Commissioner with the New Zealand Productivity Commission. She started her 30-year academic career as a research chemist. Her work is typified by a dedication to drawing leading ideas out of theoretical frameworks and seeing if they deliver in practice, particularly in a New Zealand context.

One such idea is the work of economist Professor Mariana Mazzucato of University College London, who has been gaining widespread interest in her advocacy for a mission-led approach to innovation to address the globe’s major challenges. Professor Mazzucato argues that state involvement in forming wide-ranging teams from both the public and private sectors, driven by a common purpose or mission, is needed to address these complex issues that can never be solved by the traditional research funding model.

“At SfTI we’re deploying some of these ideas within our sphere of technological innovation – the larger mission-driven research we fund is being delivered by teams from across diverse research organisations, and with early and strong links into the private sector and Iwi.

“When we put people together in a room, the question is not ‘what are you researching that could relate to this mission’? It’s ‘what capabilities can you bring’?

You want the best people working on the same problem, rather than a collection of folk all trying to get their own pet research project over the line.”

 Sally says these new processes draw on the social science concept of social capital, or the idea that people are more impactful when they work together in a social network to invent solutions to problems.

“SfTI multi-disciplinary teams are broader than people who already know each other, so we’re interested in how these groups can work together for best impact. It means trying to understand what gives people a sense of belonging to a team. Leadership is important, but we also see that people being invested in the mission is probably even more so.”

Another feature of SfTI research teams is the deliberate mixing of leading and early career researchers.

“Some of our early career researchers don’t have a huge track record, but in these mixed teams they have delivered really good ideas.”

She says SfTI also deliberately builds social capital by funding the development of non-research capabilities in its researchers as part of its mission to enhance the capacity of Aotearoa-New Zealand to use physical sciences and engineering for economic growth and prosperity.

“We’re interested in building holistic researchers, and we have dedicated a sizeable proportion of funding to delivering training and support in the human skills that will help our researchers work better together and so be more impactful in the science system.”

SfTI researchers can get funding for things like writing for non-technical audiences, patent searching, deepening their understanding of Te Reo and Te Ao Māori, presentation skills, or virtually any other skill that can contribute to their work.

“I think we are also building the cognitive aspects of social capital by the way we react to failures. We tolerate failure, we’re open to risk and we allow people to pivot their research or just drop an idea that’s not working out. So that’s building our people’s sense that we are trustworthy, which in turn increases their sense of belonging.

“You never really leave SfTI. Even when you’ve concluded your work, we still want to know what you go on to do, and it’s the same whether you were successful with us or not.”

Sally says the flip side of the coin is that research teams that are not willing to take part in the mission aspect of the work will get dropped.

“We’re unusual in that we put a lot of emphasis on the mission-led, relational aspects. We’re not just another source of money. We’re looking for impactful outcomes not limited to research, but also in the successful functioning of mission-led teams working closely with industry and Māori.

Sally says COVID-19 and the subsequent reduction in face-to-face workshops, conferences and other catch-ups among SfTI researchers has resulted in a noticeable drop-off in social capital markers over the past couple of years.

“Belonging is not nearly as strong and anecdotally we’ve seen reduced cohesion in some of our teams. It’s had quite an impact, and Zoom is not going to solve it. Actually, one of our teams is tackling isolation right now with innovative 3D computer programming that lets people meet virtually as if in person.

“That’s a bit like Star Trek, but who knows where the tech can go? 

"Meanwhile at SfTI we’re pleased to be re-establishing our in-person norms over the rest of this year and onwards.”