The process of reviewing portfolio of sustainable development: a community interaction

Sustainable Development, as a concept, has been with us for a while now. Research communities (providers) have developed sophistication in understanding and approach to the field. Research funders (clients) have actively supported the topic area. In New Zealand, the dominant research provider for general science research, the Foundation for Research Science and Technology, has recently completed a round of consultation with stakeholders aimed at adjusting current priorities and strategies for sustainable development. This paper examines the methods used by the Foundation to ensure consultation with stakeholders and categorises them according to the community interactions typology proposed by (Heywood et al., 2002). The analysis, undertaken by paper review and participatory action research, suggests that the approach is consultative/ participatory but that the results could have been improved with a shift toward a more deliberative approach. This has implications for future change processes in the New Zealand research funding system, particularly with regard to the portfolio review of the Built Environment topic area.