The Green Party has revealed its plans to fund an additional 1000 university places for students of mathematics, engineering, and both physical and computer sciences.
The funding, estimated by the Greens to cost $50 million a year, comes as part of a $1 billion package for investment in research and development.
Injection of the funding would take place over three years, and would be channeled into ICT, renewable energy, and manufacturing.
Greens co-leader Russel Norman has claimed that the Party is alone in its pledging of “significant” R&D investment.
This claim is, however, disputed by economic development minister Steven Joyce, who bluntly says the Greens have “been asleep” to the wider political efforts towards R&D development.
“It’s good to see the Greens playing catch-up and endorsing our shift into encouraging more students in engineering, ICT and science careers, and our approach of dramatically increasing R&D investment.”
This incentive for student votes could just be what the Greens need to set their poll ratings ablaze.