Research programmes

Scion leads a number of multi-year research programmes, contributing to impacts and benefits to New Zealand.

Current research programmes

• Next-Generation Silvopastoral Systems
• Protecting Aotearoa from wind-dispersed pests
• Wildfire Research
• The Tree Root Microbiome Programme: at the root of climate proofing forests
• Seeing the forest for the trees: Transforming tree phenotyping for future forests
• Vive la résistance – managing wilding conifer re-invasion
• Resilient Forests Research Programme

Past research programmes

• Forest Flows: Creating water-resilient landscapes completed in 2024
• Bark Biorefinery: Unlocking new hydrophobic polymers completed in 2023
• Giant Willow Aphid completed in 2022
• Growing Confidence in Forestry's Future (GCFF) completed in 2019
• Health Trees, Healthy Future (HTHF) completed in 2019

National science challenges

New Zealand’s national science challenges (NSCs) tackled big science-based issues and opportunities facing the country. These mission-led programmes ran from 2014-2024, with Scion scientists working alongside other top scientists from Crown Research Institutes, universities and other research bodies in six of the challenges:

• Science for technological innovation. Kia kotahi mai – te ao pūtaiao me te ao hangarau. Lead SfTI Spearhead project: Additive manufacturing and 3D and/or 4D printing of bio-composites.
• Building better homes, towns and cities. Ko ngā wā kāinga hei whakamāhorahora
• New Zealand’s biological heritage. Ngā koiora tuku iho
• Our land and water. Toitū te whenua, toi ora te wai
• Resilience to nature's challenges. Kia manawaroa – ngā ākina o te ao tūroa
• The deep south. Te kōmata o te tonga