Author: Mark Henderson

NSERC field robotics network pitches for extended funding

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The NSERC Canadian Field Robotics Network (NCFRN) put on an impressive display of robots and drones last week in Ottawa as the national network readies its pitch for renewed and increased federal funding. NCFRN, one of 16 active NSERC Strategic Networks, is currently in its final year of a five-year $5 million award. Demonstrations representing the work of 180 researchers from eight universities and 12 industrial and government partners coincided with the network’s annual meeting where high-level discussions took place on how to secure an even larger injection of funding from the federal government…

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CRC leading charge to move government IT into the cloud

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The Communications Research Centre (CRC) has successfully completed a pilot project that could pave the way for cloud-based R&D across government, signalling a dramatic transformation in how many government researchers work and collaborate.

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Big gains possible with explicit provincial science policies: CCA report

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Provinces that develop and deploy explicit science policies benefit from greater coordination, alignment and clarity of their science-based activities, which in turn help leverage federal support. Other than Quebec and the territories which have developed explicit science policies, those of Canada’s other subnational governments are implicit in nature and often conflate science and innovation resulting in less than optimum outcomes, according to a new report from the Council of Canadian Academies.

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Mitacs to realize goal of placing 10,000 internships throughout industry, not-for-profit sector and government

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Mitacs’ long-term goal of supporting 10,000 internships annually has become a reality with a $211-million investment from the federal government. Announced in the recent federal Budget, the five-year funding commitment beings this FY at $12 million and ramps up to $80 million by FY21-22, providing an unprecedented infusion of post-secondary talent into industry and the not-for-profit sector.

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A RE$EARCH MONEY Q&A with NRC President Iain Stewart

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RE$EARCH MONEY managing editor Mark Henderson sat down with National Research Council president Iain Stewart on April 11 to discuss the organization’s recent internal consultations and plans for the future. Stewart assembled seven Tiger Teams to fan out across the country and report back to him in preparation for a Spring Memorandum to Cabinet.

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Opinion Leader: Big on Twitter, Little on Facts- Will this be the fate of science advice under Trump’s administration?

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Scientists in the US fear the United States under Donald Trump could become like the Soviet Union, in which the prevailing political ideology was so powerful that science was unable to contradict it with hard evidence. Speaking at the beginning of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting in Boston in February, its president, Barbara Schaal, and chief executive, Dr Rush Holt, both expressed concern about the use of the phrase “alternative facts” by Trump administration officials.

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Quebec Budget opens provincial coffers with $834M to stimulate research and innovation

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The Quebec government has committed $834 million over five years to research and innovation, including unprecedented increases for post-secondary research after recording its second consecutive Budget surplus. The new funding arrives ahead of the province’s latest research and innovation strategy, due next month, as well as a new life sciences strategy expected before the end of April.

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Basic science needs better oversight and coordination, and more money: Expert panel

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R$ talks to David Naylor

A federally commissioned blue-chip panel calling for greater coherence and financial support for fundamental research has made a series of 35 recommendations, including a $1.3-billion increase in the budgets of the three granting councils, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and related entities over the next four years.

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CIHR appoints Dr Roderick McInnes as acting head of CIHR

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Dr Roderick McInnes has been appointed acting president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in advance of a much-anticipated report on federal support for fundamental science.  McInnes previously served as the inaugural scientific director of the CIHR’s Institute of Genetics from 2000-2010. Recognized as a champion of collaborative research, his research began at…

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