Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Associate Minister of Research, Science and Innovation): On Sunday, I was pleased to announce that the Government is investing in a new Infectious Diseases Research Platform. New Zealand's response to COVID-19 has been informed by science from the beginning, and as a result, we have saved lives, but the lack of a dedicated infectious diseases research fund has been a longstanding gap in our domestic science capabilities. When the pandemic hit, scientists either volunteered time to support the COVID-19 response or received ad hoc grants for small pieces of research. To address this, we are investing $36 million over three years in the new programme of research to sustain the contribution of cutting-edge scientists to the COVID-19 response.