Preceding agency DSIR Number of employees 350 | Website www.irl.cri.nz Founded 1 April 1992 | |
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Formed April 1, 1992 (1992-04-01) Dissolved February 1, 2013 (2013-02-01) Agency executives Shaun Coffey, Chief ExecutiveMichael Ludbrooke, Chair Predecessor Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand) | ||
Industrial Research Limited (IRL) was a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand until it was merged into a new crown entity, Callaghan Innovation, on 1 February 2013. IRL provided research, development and commercialisation services aimed at fostering industry development, economic growth and business expansion. It was established in 1992 when the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was disbanded and its staff and assets redistributed to form the research institutes.
Like many New Zealand entities, its logo incorporated a Māori identity, in this case "Te Tauihu Pūtaiao", where Te Tauihu is the prow or leading edge of a waka (Māori war canoe) and Pūtaiao means science. The phrase is a metaphor for the way science and technology can open up new opportunities for New Zealand businesses.
IRL was based at Gracefield in Lower Hutt, and had offices in Auckland and Christchurch.
After 10 years of operation, IRL commissioned a book, The Littlest Clue, which followed the history of several scientists and their projects as they took their ideas from the lab to the market place.
In 2009, IRL ran a competition What's Your Problem New Zealand? to win up to $1 million of research and development services, receiving over 100 entries.