The new Ministry of Science and Innovation is now officially open for business.
It merges what were separate policy and funding agencies.
The Minister of Research, Science and Technology, Wayne Mapp, says some positions maybe cut due to the merger.
He says the affected positions are likely in areas such as corporate services and communications.
The New Zealand Association of Scientists supports the merger in part because it takes away some of the bureaucracy of dealing with two separate organisations.
The official launch of the new ministry was held at Victoria University on Tuesday.
