Significant endowment for VBS research institute
Victoria Business School’s Institute for Governance and Policy Studies (IGPS) has received a generous $7 million endowment from the Gama Foundation to support its ongoing work leading thinking and debate around issues at the heart of the democratic process.
Victoria Business School’s Institute for Governance and Policy Studies (IGPS) has received a generous $7 million endowment from the Gama Foundation to support its ongoing work leading thinking and debate around issues at the heart of the democratic process.
The IGPS was established in 2012 through an earlier $3 million endowment from the Gama Foundation, a charitable trust set up by Christchurch philanthropists Grant and Marilyn Nelson.
Based in the School of Government, the IGPS is a centre of high-quality, independent thinking and research into improving governance management and decision-making in the public sector. It also undertakes public policy research on important contemporary issues.
The Nelsons say they are pleased with the range of work carried out by the IGPS over the past few years, but realised that an increase in income was needed to help the Institute achieve its objectives. As a result, they made the decision to increase the endowment to $10 million.
Victoria’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Grant Guilford, extended the University’s thanks to Grant and Marilyn Nelson for their "extremely generous, thoughtful and far-seeing donation” and for their ongoing commitment.
"This is a wonderful endorsement of the work the IGPS has done and can do in the future to lead thinking on important questions facing society. It will allow Victoria to deliver real benefit for New Zealand."
The director of the IGPS Dr Michael Macaulay says the additional endowment will support a number of new research initiatives.
"It will allow us to bring in more research staff and more PhD students, and to forge partnerships with government agencies to carry out specific research projects.
"The IGPS is already making a significant contribution to issues around public policy, governance and management. The support from the Gama Foundation will substantially increase our capacity to do more."
Examples of work currently being undertaken by the IGPS include publishing Policy Quarterly, facilitating regular roundtables on climate change, and contributing to New Zealand's involvement in the Open Government Partnership, an initiative to bring about more open, transparent and accountable government.
The Gama Foundation endowment will be managed through the University's charitable trust, the Victoria University Foundation.