State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie, today announced the appointment of Murray Bain to the newly established position of chief executive, Ministry of Science and Innovation.The Ministry of Science and Innovation will be established formally on Novembe
State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie, today announced the appointment of Murray Bain to the newly established position of chief executive, Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The Ministry of Science and Innovation will be established formally on November 1.
Mr Bain is the head of government agency FRST (the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology). In May, the government announced that FRST would be merged with its sister agency MoRST (the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology. MoRST has been led by acting chief executive Lesley Middleton since April.
The government is billing the merger of FRST and MoRST as the biggest shake up in the way Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) have been funded in 20 years.
FRST includes TechNZ, which among other funding activities, invests tens of millions a year in New Zealand technology companies – including, recently, a $4.4 million grant to London-listed Endace and $3.7 million to Compac.
Before his FRST role, Mr Bain was the assistant governor and head of operations at the Reserve Bank.
Before that he was the general manager of Industry and Regional Development in the establishment phase of Industry NZ before it became NZTE.
