Three years after the fall of the Parti Quebecois government, research and innovation has finally re-appeared on the province’s political radar screen. The Liberal government of Jean Charest has unveiled an ambitious strategy that is receiving ringing endorsements throughout the S&T community (see lead story).
With a couple of notable exceptions, the strategy zeroes in on the key weaknesses in the current scientific and high-tech landscape, specifically commercialization and the innovative capacity of smaller businesses.
The strategy is backed with nearly $1.2 billion in funding commitments over three years. The intent is to pull more companies into the innovation system, boost the number of graduates from the province’s post-secondary institutions, and increase investment in selected high-tech areas considered Quebec’s best bets for global competitiveness.
Curiously, the strategy is silent on the venture capital link in the innovation equation. Perhaps the government thought its job was done after its dramatic restructuring of the industry, but it still should have been included as part of a comprehensive strategy.
The strategy is also silent on the pressures new research investment will place on the operating budgets of the province’s universities. All institutions are running sizable operating deficits, requiring major increases to tuition levels or increased support direct from the treasury.
Those two issues aside, the document returns innovation to its rightful place at the centre of Quebec’s economic policy. That’s welcome news.
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