A wool industry research consortium is waiting to hear if it’s getting new  government research funding.

A request last year was rejected by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology partly because farmers voted to abandon the wool levy they paid for research.

That levy decision was also a factor in AgResearch scaling back its wool research activities.

But the chair of the New Zealand wool research body David Douglas says it’s only asking for matching funding for up to $1.5 million in research money it already has available.

He says wool research is a separate fund with $31 million invested in  post harvest wool research and scholarships every year.