About Us
MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF NEW ZEALAND
Rangahautia Te Ora
The Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ) is Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading independent medical research institute. Our research is guided by a simple philosophy: it must challenge dogma, increase knowledge, and have the potential to improve clinical practice and outcomes, both in Aotearoa New Zealand, and internationally.
The MRINZ’s research teams are dedicated to investigating important public health problems, delivering high quality evidence on which to improve the management of disease and patient care. An internationally recognised academic institution, the MRINZ operates under a charitable trust pursuing advances in clinical practice and providing a base for specialist training in medical research.
Te Ao Māori me Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The MRINZ is committed to contributing toward a more equitable society that celebrates Te Ao Māori and upholds Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The MRINZ is working to support tangata whenua led processes, where Māori worldviews and values help shape our research. We are committed to Māori health workforce training, developing ways to weave tikanga into how we work within our organisation, and through active collaborations with partners across Aotearoa New Zealand, and worldwide.
The MRINZ conduct collaborative research on crucial issues in global public health and development, while supporting and encouraging the next generation of world health leaders at undergraduate, post-graduate and professional levels.
Our world-leading research spans TEN key medical fields.
ASTHMA
CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY
CHILDREN’S HEALTH
COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
EMERGING THERAPEUTICS:
EARLY PHASE STUDIES
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE
MĀORI & PACIFIC PEOPLES’ HEALTH
OXYGEN THERAPY
STROKE & REHABILITATION
To mark our 2023 Anniversary Celebration, the MRINZ has published
a 21st Research Report detailing institute-wide activity since 2002.
For best viewing please select the full screen icon.
Research Performance
In 2023, a major audit of the MRINZ’s research performance was undertaken through SciVal, a research metric database that contains research metrics on over 14,000 research organisations worldwide. The SciVal database allows standardised comparisons with universities and other academic organisations, both in New Zealand and internationally.
The two most commonly used output metrics to benchmark an organisation’s academic impact are:
1. FIELD-WEIGHTED CITATION IMPACT This value represents the level of citation for a publication output, relative to the expected number in any given field. The values are weighted to accommodate differences in citation patterns across disciplines, allowing an adjusted comparison between organisations. A value of 1.0 means that an organisation’s work is being cited at the expected level, a value of 1.5 means 50% more citations than average and 0.5 means 50% less. The higher the citation index above 1.0, the higher the impact of the research.
2. PUBLICATIONS IN TOP 10% JOURNAL PERCENTILES BY SJR This represents the proportion of publications in the top ranked journals. The SJR, or SCImago journal and country rank, is an independent metric that quantifies the scientific influence of journals. Together the above metrics can provide a standardised analysis of institutional performance relative to the rest of the world, a specific specialist field of interest or a specified group of similar organisations. The most commonly accepted data period is five years, excluding the full year immediately past to allow for complete indexing of academic output in Scopus.
For the five-year period leading up to 2023 the MRINZ outperformed all eight New Zealand universities in both metrics. For the five-year period leading up to 2023 the MRINZ performance exceeded that of the five highest ranked universities worldwide (Times 2021 ranking) in terms of field-weighted citation impact.
Our Values
independence
The MRINZ is an independent research institute and registered charity (ID CC22439).
This means that we are able to operate independently from government and industry pressures when conducting research.
Excellence
We publish an average of 52 peer-reviewed publications each year in high-impact journals and our work has contributed to major global changes in practice. This output is achieved by our capability to act as an autonomous trial coordinating centre both in New Zealand, and for large-scale, multi-national clinical trials with our research networks in intensive care, hospitals, general practice and pharmacies.
Education
We offer higher degrees through practical real-world research including PhDs, MDs (Medical Doctorates), Masters, and Diplomas. We have close ties with Victoria University of Wellington, Otago University, Montepellier University France and the University of Groningen Netherlands.