3 June 2022
J Bruning
via FYI.org.nz
email: [FYI request #19298 email]
Dear J Bruning,
Official Information Act Request – IP protocols and remuneration; and financial return
from biotech investment
I refer to your request dated 9 May 2022 for the fol owing:
1. Intellectual property. Please supply the protocol for financial return on intellectual
property. This might include through sale of the IP or as leasing and royalty payments.
a. Please include information on how inventors are renumerated through sales or IP
royalties
b. Please include information on how public sector are renumerated through sales or
IP royalties. This might include financial return to this institution or to the MBIE.
c. Please provide an example of a product that is New Zealand developed to illustrate
how financial return comes back to the New Zealand public.
2. Modern biotech/gene technology (which includes editing that is based and not based
on Crispr) - returns on investment.
a. Please provide a list of AgResearch reports produced from 2015 onwards detailing
the investment in biotechnology and the financial outcome. This includes public
reports and reports directly to MBIE, MPI and Cabinet.
We have decided to grant your request. Please see below our responses to the individual
items in your request:
1. Intellectual property. Please supply the protocol for financial return on intellectual
property. This might include through sale of the IP or as leasing and royalty payments.
Please see attached AgResearch’s Intel ectual Property Policy, which details AgResearch’s
approach to management and commercialisation of IP. This includes discussion about how
AgResearch obtains financial return on IP.
a. Please include information on how inventors are renumerated through sales or IP
royalties
AgResearch Limited
NZBN: 9429 038 966 224
Corporate Office and
Ruakura Research Centre
Grasslands Research Centre, Hopkirk
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Lincoln Research Centre
10 Bisley Road, Hamilton 3214
Research Institute, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai
176 Puddle Al ey, Mosgiel 9092
1365 Springs Road, Lincoln 7674
Private Bag 3121, Hamilton 3240
Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410
Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053
Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140
T +64 7 856 2836
Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442
T +64 3 489 3809
T +64 3 321 8800
T +64 6 356 8019
www.agresearch.co.nz
AgResearch’s Intel ectual Property Policy currently provides that al IP rights developed by
employees, as a result of their engagement by AgResearch, wil be owned by AgResearch.
Employees who are inventors are therefore general y remunerated through their salaries.
There was a previous Royalty Incentive Scheme Policy with respect to IP commercialisation
which was discontinued in 2012 on the basis that it no longer aligned with AgResearch’s
desired culture and performance indicators. There are a smal number of employee Royalty
Incentive Scheme payments that continue to be made for inventions generated prior to that
policy being discontinued.
b. Please include information on how public sector are renumerated through sales or
IP royalties. This might include financial return to this institution or to the MBIE.
Revenue generated by AgResearch from commercialisation of intel ectual property, by way of
sale of intel ectual property or licence royalties, is retained within AgResearch. This revenue
is reinvested in AgResearch, to support the science, infrastructure and operations of the
company.
Revenue from intel ectual property sales or licence royalties is not shared with MBIE or any
other public sector agency.
c. Please provide an example of a product that is New Zealand developed to illustrate
how financial return comes back to the New Zealand public.
As above, direct financial return received by AgResearch from intel ectual property sales and
licence royalties is retained in AgResearch. The attached paper talks about some examples
of forage technologies bred and discovered by AgResearch. Forage technologies are typical y
licenced by AgResearch’s subsidiary, Grasslanz Technology Limited, to seed companies who
then produce the commercial seed product for sale to the end user farmer. The paper is about
the uptake of those technologies based on volume of sales.
2. Modern biotech/gene technology (which includes editing that is based and not based
on Crispr) - returns on investment.
a. Please provide a list of AgResearch reports produced from 2015 onwards detailing
the investment in biotechnology and the financial outcome. This includes public
reports and reports directly to MBIE, MPI and Cabinet.
From your request, we have worked on the basis that you are only seeking that we identify
reports which are publicly available or have been provided to government. We have not
extended our enquiries to consider reports pertaining to any privately funded projects. If we
have not correctly understood your request, please advise. Our response is based on what
we have been able to identify in AgResearch’s records as within the scope of your request
using reasonable endeavours to do so.
AgResearch doesn’t produce summary reports specifical y on the topic of its work in
biotechnology. Rather, the information that we believe you are seeking is scattered in a
number of different reports.
AgResearch Limited
NZBN: 9429 038 966 224
Corporate Office and
Ruakura Research Centre
Grasslands Research Centre, Hopkirk
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Lincoln Research Centre
10 Bisley Road, Hamilton 3214
Research Institute, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai
176 Puddle Al ey, Mosgiel 9092
1365 Springs Road, Lincoln 7674
Private Bag 3121, Hamilton 3240
Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410
Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053
Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140
T +64 7 856 2836
Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442
T +64 3 489 3809
T +64 3 321 8800
T +64 6 356 8019
www.agresearch.co.nz
AgResearch’s annual reports highlight particular projects that our scientists work on, which in
some years will include projects in the biotechnology field. These will not include specific
financial elements for those projects however. AgResearch’s annual reports are available
from https://www.agresearch.co.nz/about/our-organisation/publications/annual-report/.
AgResearch also produces a quarterly report for MBIE. These reports are of a general nature,
highlighting key work and changes within AgResearch as a whole, both in terms of its science
work and the wider functions that support science. These reports include updates on specific
science programmes, which from time-to-time includes biotechnology programmes. Specific
financial details pertaining to these programmes are not included in the reports – these are of
a more general nature commenting on progress with these programmes.
AgResearch is required to produce an annual report to MBIE detailing AgResearch’s
investment of funding provided through MBIE’s Strategic Science Investment Fund. The report
includes funding amounts allocated to specific projects, and broad descriptions of those
projects. Some of the projects include projects within the biotechnology field. The reports that
include this information are:
- C10X1702-CR-1 (for FY18)
- C10X1702-CR-3 (for FY19)
- C10X1702-CR-4 (for FY20)
- C10X1702-CR-6 (for FY21)
We believe we are likely to hold some additional reports completed in relation to specific
biotechnology projects funded through additional MBIE managed funding channels (such as
the Endeavour Fund). We are in the process of preparing a list of these and will provide this
to you when it is available.
We thought it may be of interest to provide a list of scholarly publications from 2015 onwards
which have involved AgResearch staff as authors, pertaining to work in the biotechnology field.
Please see the Schedule attached. Should these be of interest, you should be able to obtain
copies online from the publishers.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact me at 03 321 8800.
Yours faithfully,
Nick Barraclough
Team Leader - Legal
AgResearch Limited
NZBN: 9429 038 966 224
Corporate Office and
Ruakura Research Centre
Grasslands Research Centre, Hopkirk
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Lincoln Research Centre
10 Bisley Road, Hamilton 3214
Research Institute, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai
176 Puddle Alley, Mosgiel 9092
1365 Springs Road, Lincoln 7674
Private Bag 3121, Hamilton 3240
Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410
Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053
Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140
T +64 7 856 2836
Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442
T +64 3 489 3809
T +64 3 321 8800
T +64 6 356 8019
www.agresearch.co.nz
SCHEDULE
Altermann, E., & Hickey, W. J. (2020). Grand Chal enges in Microbiotechnology: Through the
Prism of Microbiotechnology. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11.
Altermann, E., Reil y, K., Young, W., Ronimus, R. S., & Muetzel, S. (2022). Tailored
Nanoparticles With the Potential to Reduce Ruminant Methane Emissions. Frontiers
in Microbiology, 13.
Baena-Aristizabal, C. M., Foxwel , M., Wright, D., & Vil amizar-Rivero, L. (2019).
Microencapsulation of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifoli with guar gum: preliminary
approach using spray drying. Journal of Biotechnology, 302, 32-41.
Barrel , P. J., Latimer, J. M., Baldwin, S. J., Thompson, M. L., Jacobs, J. M. E., & Conner, A.
J. (2017). Somatic cel selection for chlorsulfuron-resistant mutants in potato:
identification of point mutations in the acetohydroxyacid synthase gene. BMC
Biotechnology, 17(49).
Beechey-Gradwel , Z., Kadam, S., Bryan, G., Cooney, L., Nelson, K., Richardson, K., . . .
Roberts, N. (2022). Lolium perenne engineered for elevated leaf lipids exhibits greater
energy density in field canopies under defoliation. Field Crops Research, 275.
Benhal, P., Chase, J. G., Gaynor, P., Oback, B., & Wang, W. (2015). Multiple-cylindrical
electrode system for rotational electric field generation in particle rotation applications.
International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 12.
Carena, M. J. (2021). Germplasm enhancement and cultivar development: the need for
sustainable breeding. Crop Breeding and Applied Biotechnology, 21(Special Edition).
Conner, A. J., Searle, H., & Jacobs, J. M. E. (2019). Rejuvenation of chicory and lettuce plants
fol owing phase change in tissue culture. BMC Biotechnology, 19(65).
D’Hondt, K., Kostic, T., McDowel , R., Eudes, F., Singh, B. K., Sarkar, S., . . . Sessitsch, A.
(2021). Microbiome innovations for a sustainable future. Nature Microbiology, 6(2),
138-142.
Fitzpatrick, S. E., Deb-Choudhury, S., Ranford, S., & Staiger, M. P. (2020). Novel protein-
based bio-aerogels derived from canola seed meal. Journal of Materials Science,
55(11), 4848-4863.
Frederick, J., Hennessy, F., Horn, U., De La Torre Cortés, P., Van Den Broek, M., Strych, U.,
. . . Brady, D. (2020). The complete genome sequence of the nitrile biocatalyst
Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC BAA-870. BMC Genomics, 21(1).
AgResearch Limited
NZBN: 9429 038 966 224
Corporate Office and
Ruakura Research Centre
Grasslands Research Centre, Hopkirk
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Lincoln Research Centre
10 Bisley Road, Hamilton 3214
Research Institute, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai
176 Puddle Al ey, Mosgiel 9092
1365 Springs Road, Lincoln 7674
Private Bag 3121, Hamilton 3240
Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410
Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053
Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140
T +64 7 856 2836
Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442
T +64 3 489 3809
T +64 3 321 8800
T +64 6 356 8019
www.agresearch.co.nz
Gagic, D., Ciric, M., Wen, W. X., Ng, F., & Rakonjac, J. (2016). Exploring the secretomes of
microbes and microbial communities using filamentous phage display. Frontiers in
Microbiology, 7(APR).
Guerrero, F. D., Bendele, K. G., Ghaffari, N., Guhlin, J., Gedye, K. R., Lawrence, K. E., . . .
Tompkins, D. M. (2019). The Pacific Biosciences de novo assembled genome dataset
from a parthenogenetic New Zealand wild population of the longhorned tick,
Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901. Data in Brief, 27.
Hadi, J. B., G. (2021). Safety of alternative proteins: technological, environmental and
regulatory aspects of cultured meat, plant-based meat, insect protein and single-cel
protein. Foods, 10(6), 1226.
Laible, G., Wei, J., & Wagner, S. (2015). Improving livestock for agriculture - technological
progress from random transgenesis to precision genome editing heralds a new era.
Biotechnology Journal, 10(1), 109-120.
Li, J., Gu, H., Liu, Y., Wei, S., Hu, G., Wang, X., . . . Ban, L. (2021). RNA-seq reveals plant
virus composition and diversity in alfalfa, thrips, and aphids in Beijing, China. Archives
of Virology, 166(6), 1711-1722.
Meier, S., Kay, J. K., Kuhn-Sherlock, B., Heise, A., Mitchel , M. D., Crookenden, M. A., . . .
Roche, J. R. (2020). Effects of far-off and close-up transition cow feeding on uterine
health, postpartum anestrous interval, and reproductive outcomes in pasture-based
dairy cows. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 11(17).
Meng, F., Li, H., Wang, X., Qin, G., Oback, B., & Shi, D. (2015). Optimized production of
transgenic buffalo embryos and offspring by cytoplasmic zygote injection. Journal of
Animal Science and Biotechnology, 6(44).
Nayfach, S., Roux, S., Seshadri, R., Udwary, D., Varghese, N., Schulz, F., . . . Consortium, I.
M. D. (2021). Author Correction: A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes (Nature
Biotechnology, (2021), 39, 4, (499-509), 10.1038/s41587-020-0718-6). Nature
Biotechnology, 39(4), 521.
O'Cal aghan, M. (2016). Microbial inoculation of seed for improved crop performance: issues
and opportunities. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 100(13), 5729-5746.
Pinel-Cabel o, M., Jroundi, F., López-Fernández, M., Geffers, R., Jarek, M., Jauregui, R., . . .
Merroun, M. L. (2021). Multisystem combined uranium resistance mechanisms and
bioremediation potential of Stenotrophomonas bentonitica BII-R7: Transcriptomics
and microscopic study. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 403.
AgResearch Limited
NZBN: 9429 038 966 224
Corporate Office and
Ruakura Research Centre
Grasslands Research Centre, Hopkirk
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Lincoln Research Centre
10 Bisley Road, Hamilton 3214
Research Institute, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai
176 Puddle Al ey, Mosgiel 9092
1365 Springs Road, Lincoln 7674
Private Bag 3121, Hamilton 3240
Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410
Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053
Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140
T +64 7 856 2836
Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442
T +64 3 489 3809
T +64 3 321 8800
T +64 6 356 8019
www.agresearch.co.nz
Rajan, S. S. S., & Upsdel , M. P. (2021) Environmental y friendly agronomical y superior
alternatives
to
chemical y
processed
phosphate
fertilizers:
Phosphate
rock/sulfur/Acidithiobacil us sp. combinations. In: Vol. 167. Advances in Agronomy (pp.
183-245): Academic Press Inc.
Soni, A., Samuelsson, L. M., Loveday, S. M., & Gupta, T. B. (2021). Applications of novel
processing technologies to enhance the safety and bioactivity of milk. Comprehensive
Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20(5), 4652-4677.
Tizard, M., Hal erman, E., Fahrenkrug, S., Newel -McGloughlin, M., Gibson, J., de Loos, F., .
. . Doran, T. (2016). Strategies to enable the adoption of animal biotechnology to
sustainably improve global food safety and security. Transgenic Research, 25(5), 575-
595.
Wakelin, S., Young, S., Gerard, E., Mander, C., & O’Cal aghan, M. (2017). Isolation of root-
associated Pseudomonas and Burkholderia spp. with biocontrol and plant growth-
promoting traits. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 27(1), 139-143.
Woodfield, D. R., Roldan, M. B., Voisey, C. R., Cousins, G. R., & Caradus, J. R. (2019).
Improving environmental benefits of white clover through condensed tannin
expression. Journal of New Zealand Grasslands, 81, 195-202.
Zachow, C., Berg, C., Mül er, H., Monk, J., & Berg, G. (2016). Endemic plants harbour specific
Trichoderma communities with an exceptional potential for biocontrol of
phytopathogens. Journal of Biotechnology, 235, 162-170.
Zhang, J., Wu, F., Yan, Q., John, U. P., Cao, M., Xu, P., . . . Wang, Y. (2020). The genome of
Cleistogenes songorica provides a blueprint for functional dissection of dimorphic
flower differentiation and drought adaptability. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 19(3), 532-
547.
AgResearch Limited
NZBN: 9429 038 966 224
Corporate Office and
Ruakura Research Centre
Grasslands Research Centre, Hopkirk
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Lincoln Research Centre
10 Bisley Road, Hamilton 3214
Research Institute, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai
176 Puddle Al ey, Mosgiel 9092
1365 Springs Road, Lincoln 7674
Private Bag 3121, Hamilton 3240
Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410
Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053
Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140
T +64 7 856 2836
Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442
T +64 3 489 3809
T +64 3 321 8800
T +64 6 356 8019
www.agresearch.co.nz
