One of Canada’s key programs for the commercialization of research is about to get smaller. Federal austerity measures combined with strictly enforced rules on sustainability and governance have reduced the original slate of 11 Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) from 11 to four, with the program’s overall number shrinking from 22 to 15.
While there has been considerable debate about the wisdom of cutting so many CECRs after only five years, there’s little doubt that the four that received extended funding are the best of the best. With funding in tight supply while the government seeks to balance its books, $30-million annually still indicates a strong commitment.
That’s little consolation for those CECRs that demonstrated real value for money but were tripped up on a single criterion. This issue’s lead article discusses two of those unsuccessful CECRs and there are almost certainly others that believe the competition criteria were overzealously applied. Taken together, the seven unsuccessful centres represent expenditures more than $100 million.
Where the rationale for cutting so many centres gets murkier is in the larger context of Canada’s S&T strategy. Recent Statistics Canada data show that federal outlays are declining.
Deficit elimination may be one reason why investment in innovation is lagging, but the government appears willing to open its purse strings for other initiatives it deems worthy. Once the deficit is slayed, the downward trend must be reversed.
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