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Number 6 / Volume 14 / May 26, 2000

Editorial

The federal government’s decision to examine the pressing issue of research overhead costs should come as very welcome news and a huge relief to the academic community. As our story on page 6 explains, the Advisory Council on Science and Technology has been requested to report to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Union this fall, presumably for consideration in next year’s Budget.

Canadian role in international S&T faces many challenges as expert panelcompletes highly anticipated report

Canada’s role in international science and technology is about to gain a much higher profile after languishing on the fringes of public policy and suffering debilitating budget cuts, with the release of an eagerly awaited report this September.

Canadian Institute of Advanced Research enters period of renewal as it secures multi-year funding commitment from Ottawa

The Canadian Institute of Advanced Research (CIAR) has successfully secured a new commitment of federal funding to maintain its ambitious slate of transdisciplinary research. The decision of the federal government to provide CIAR with $14 million over the next four years was made earlier this week at the Univ of Alberta, with Industry minister John Manley touring a laboratory for nanoelectronics – one CIAR’s eight program areas.

PAPRICAN goes global to keep abreast of rapid changes within pulp and paper sector and to diversify revenue base

One of Canada’s oldest not-for-profit research institutes is going global in response to the forces of globalization and consolidation transforming its industry, and in response to changes in the way governments provide industrial assistance.

New bibliometric study reveals that federal researchers making significant contribution to Canada's scientific output

Researchers in the federal government are making a huge contribution to the advancement of Canadian science, but years of shrinking budgets are severely compromising its output, according to a recent study of bibliometric data.

Opinion Leader:
Ron Freedman, Partner, The Impact Group

Ron Freedman

A Bridge Too Far?
By Ron Freedman, Partner, The Impact Group

It’s time we did something to bridge the widening gulf between two pillars of our national system of innovation; federal laboratories and universities.

Universities racing to complete strategic plans to qualify for funding under new Canada Research Chairs Program

The clock is ticking for universities and colleges as they work to complete their strategic plans in time for the first round of the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP). With a September 1 deadline, the institutions were informed late last month about the number of chairs they will be eligible to receive.

Magellan subsidiaries receive $8.8M from TPC to launch projects

Orenda Aerospace Corp has received $7.2 million in government assistance for two R&D projects in the areas of gas turbines engines and extended life expectancy of engine components. The Mississauga-based subsidiary of Magellan Aerospace Corp has committed to creating 46 new jobs over the next five years as a result of the funding from Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC).

Federal S&T Councils armed with new mandates

Canada’s two federal advisory bodies for science and technology have been given new mandates that will occupy their energies until the fall of this year. The mandates reflect the attention government is beginning to focus on its own role within the innovation system, and respond to growing calls from the S&T community for such action.

MEDICAL BRIEFS

MRC study finds no significant benefit from using dual chamber pacemakers-

A study funded by the Medical Research Council has determined that a single chamber cardiac pacemaker is just as good as the more expensive dual chamber variety.

News Bites

News Briefs

Ontario boosts optical telecommunications infrastructure

Smart Communities pilot projects chosen

Innovatech du Grand Montréal may be privatized

People

René Durocher

Dr Tom Brzustowski

Number 5 / Volume 14 / May 12, 2000

Editorial:
Mark Henderson, Managing Editor

Canada’s apparent eagerness to participate at the leading edge of the global race towards an innovative, knowledge-based economy is being pitched as good news for researchers and future competitiveness.

Ontario Budget doles out tax cuts to high-tech sector and boosts university-based research funding

Last week’s Ontario Budget designated the province’s business sector as the prime beneficiary of a booming economy and ballooning fiscal surplus, with a significant component directed towards high-technology firms and health and university-based research.

Substantial new funding essential if Canada to avoid danger of being sidelined in astronomy and astrophysics: report

A panel of experts created to examine Canada’s role in international astronomy and astrophysics is warning that the country will be sidelined as a significant player unless $264 million is pumped into training and research over the next 10 years.

Nortel Networks creates new optical business unit to accelerate development of Internet-based components

Nortel Networks Corp’s integration of its formidable optical components business lines into a single corporate unit is the culmination of a long term push into the field which has helped transform the Canadian-based conglomerate into a major global telecommunications force.

Calendar

May 30-31 in Toronto: Customer Value and Profitable Engineering. Sponsored by the Centre for Automotive Materials and Manufacturing at Queen’s Univ. Introduction to the methods for better understanding factors influencing competitiveness.

Opinion Leader:
John de la Mothe

John de la Mothe

Eyes Wide Shut
By John de la Mothe

Let’s begin with three things we all know. First, information is of critical importance to the international knowledge economy, and Canadian researchers, firms and government officials need to become expert intelligence gatherers and users.

Tax reductions aimed at making innovative Ontario firms more competitive

The Ontario government’s decision to reduce corporate taxes and lessen the tax burden of certain technology workers could arguably have the most impact on increasing Ontario’s innovative capacity. The series of measures directly target many of the high-tech sector’s complaints of high taxation rates and loss of skilled personnel to more competitive jurisdictions, and they represent a hefty price tag in terms of foregone tax revenue.

New report says Canada requires technology foresight capability to properly establish nation's research priorities

Canada needs to build expertise in technology foresight to correct and strengthen the alignment between its research capabilities and areas where the nation has enough potential critical mass to be globally competitive, concludes a new report.

MEDICAL BRIEFS

Changes to governance of research ethics management recommended

Canada’s two-year-old Tri-Council Policy Statement on ethics is about to undergo significant changes in its governance if recommendations made in a recent report are adopted.

News Bites

News Briefs

Aliant creates R&D unit for Internet-based applications

Ontario Hydro Energy unveils new software

JDS buys developer of telecom products

Two Canadian aerospace firms seeking to merge

Precision introduces data transmission system

RIM and Microcell to conduct joint field trials

Number 4 / Volume 14 / April 21, 2000

Editorial

As Ottawa’s recent investment in two high-flying technology companies confirms, the business community’s love-hate relationship with government is still alive and well. The financial backing by Technology Partnership Canada (TPC) of BioChem Pharma and Research in Motion (RIM) drew criticism from all the usual sources as an improper use of public funds (see page 3).

BEST report confirms urgent need for new resources for federal S&T

A major new report on the role of the federal government in performing science and technology (S&T) is breathing new life into the push for increased funding for in-house research capacity. The Council of Science and Technology Advisors (CSTA) has weighed in with an eye opening assessment on the state of federal S&T, calling for urgent action on a number of fronts to avoid what it views as a rapid deterioration in the government’s ability to fulfill its S&T mandate to support the health, safety and economic well-being of Canadians.

RIM to develop next-generation wireless devices with TPC assistance

High-flying Research in Motion (RIM) has snared a major investment from Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) for the second time in less than two years to accelerate the pace of R&D on platform technologies supporting the next generation of its hand-held wireless communications products.

AG takes hard line against processes and administration of SR&ED tax credit program

Persistent problems in closing off on the aging files of certain firms claiming federal R&D tax credits has handed the Auditor General of Canada (AG) ammunition to blast the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (RevCan) over its handling of the scientific research & experimental development (SR&ED) program.

MEDICAL BRIEFS

Milestone Medica funds Univ of Ottawa spin-off

Milestone Medica Corp (MMC) and the Univ of Ottawa have created a new private company to develop new therapies targeting heart disease and stroke based on the university’s research using proprietary zinz compounds.

NEWSBRIEFS

Two major reports on skills shortage released

Two reports warning of the danger of brain drain have been released by the CD Howe Institute and the Conference Board of Canada (CBoC). What To Do When the Well Runs Dry: Managing Scarce Skills, was prepared by the CBoC and calls for collective action by industry, labour, education and government to avert a serious shortage of highly skilled technical staff and middle managers.

Opinion Leader:
Monty Little, Chairman, Science Council of British Columbia

Monty Little

By Monty Little, Chairman, Science Council of British Columbia

“British Columbia? That’s a resource-based province, isn’t it? They’ll be looking for some support for their forest, mining and fisheries industries.

BioChem Pharma mounts major vaccine development program with $80 million from Technology Partnerships Canada

BioChem Pharma Inc has launched a seven-year, $600-million project for the development of recombinant vaccines as part of its re-focused business plan that saw the shedding of its diagnostic division last year (R$, June 16/99).

BC Budget contains modest measures reflecting growing recognition of innovation

Cash-strapped British Columbia has been handed a Budget that seems to indicate that the beleaguered NDP government is beginning to acknowledge the importance of technology and innovation to the province’s future prosperity.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research officially launched by Royal Assent replacing the Medical Research Council

The timing is a little off, but the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is now a reality having passed through both the House of Commons and the Senate before receiving Royal Assent on April 14.

CSA helps fund payload for ANIK F2 satellite

Three high tech firms and the federal government have entered a collaborative funding agreement to develop, deploy and operate a cutting-edge multimedia payload for the new ANIK F2 satellite which is slated for launch in 2002.

News Bites

Number 3 / Volume 14 / April 7, 2000

Editorial

Volume 14, Number 3 – April 7, 2000

It’s no state secret that Canada’s innovation system is full of holes. Persistent gaps remain in crucial cross-over areas between academia and the marketplace, government and the private sector.

Budget's tax reduction initiatives please business crucial change to federal R&D tax credit program raises concerns

The federal government has initiated a series of cautious but encouraging tax reduction measures geared to bringing Canada business in line with its major competitors, particularly in the high technology sector.

Ontario examining new commercialization fund for possible inclusion in next provincial budget

The Ontario’s Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology (MEST) is working quickly to craft a new, two-pronged program designed to help bridge the gap between university-based discoveries and the marketplace.

Loss of expertise feared as Budget ignores request to fund Canadian Neutron Facility

The materials science and engineering community fears it will lose its next generation of researchers following the failure of the federal government to fund a dual-use neutron research reactor. The absence of the Canadian Neutron Facility (CNF) from the federal Budget for the second year running means Canada could be without a crucial research reactor, once the existing 43-year-old NRU reactor in Chalk River ON is decommissioned in 2005.

TeleLearning NCE spinning out two firms dedicated to commercialization

The emerging on-line learning sector is about to receive critical assistance in technology transfer, commercialization and mentoring with the creation of two new firms being spun out of the TeleLeaning Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE).

OIT invests in research infrastructure at the Univ of Western Ontario

The Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT) has invested $18 million in a variety of research infrastructure projects at the Univ of Western Ontario (UWO), including $9.6 million for the Canadian Light Source (CLS), a $173.

Correction

In RE$EARCH MONEY, Vol 14, No. 1, incorrect data was inadvertently published on the MRC/Rx&D Research Program. The correct figures for the institutions affected are: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre ($142,456); Univ of Western Ontario ($1.

Opinion Leader:
Dr Douglas Barber, President & CEO, Gennum Corporation

Dr Douglas Barber

Supporting Research and Teaching in the Information Age
By Dr Douglas Barber, President & CEO, Gennum Corporation

In the 20th Century, work changed from being predominantly physical, to being predominantly knowledge-based.

Quebec Budget delivers $190 million for research and introduces generous tax credits to encourage the transition to the new economy

In contrast to previous years, the recent Quebec Budget was a touch light on S&T initiatives, but that’s not surprising given the intense focus the Parti Quebecois administration has placed on all facets of the knowledge-based economy.

Environmental S&T gets $500-million boost in Budget, but federal laboratories come up empty

The federal Budget’s package of environmental S&T initiatives provides the clearest signal yet that Ottawa is beginning to regard the environmental challenges facing Canada as an economic opportunity that will receive even greater financial resources over the next two years.

NRC takes stock of future following federal budget

The National Research Council (NRC) has ruled out closure of any existing institutes, branches or programs in the wake of its failure to obtain significant new funding in the February 28 federal Budget.

National telecommunications institute launched

The Communication Research Centre (CRC) is the headquarters for a new National Capital Institute of Telecommunications (NCIT), which has received $36 million in cash and other commitments over a five-year period.

Innovation Contest

DY4 Systems Inc, Kanata ON, has launched its Teknov 8 Technological Innovation Challenge with a prize of $50,000 going to the winning entry. Contestants must develop a business plan and a new venture with a deadline of January 1/01.

News Bites

Number 2 / Volume 14 / March 17, 2000

Editorial

To lift an oft-quoted line from a long forgotten movie (Cool Hand Luke), “What we have here is a failure to communicate”. The announcement of the Budget on February 28 was only the beginning of a bizarre chain of events (and non-events) that have confused even the most astute S&T watchers.

Government treatment of S&T proposals raises spectre of shadow science budget

The contents of the federal Budget pose a challenge for those seeking to comprehend the rationale behind the seemingly scattershot response to the basket of science and technology proposals seeking a piece of the growing federal surplus.

Canada Foundation for Innovation to examine revamping of mandate following $900 million grant for Phase II

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CF) is about to embark on a thorough re-examination of its program delivery to determine how it can best contribute to Canada’s branding as an internationally competitive player in the science and technology arena.

PRECARN to expand scope of pre-competitive research with $20 million Budget announcement

PRECARN Associates Inc enters Phase III of its pre-competitive research program with double the federal funding it received for Phase two, courtesy of a $20-million grant in year-end money in last month’s federal Budget.

National Research Institutes failure to obtain Budget funding raises disturbing questions about government commitment to innovation

Conspiracy theories are rife surrounding the spectacular failure of the National Research Council to secure new funding in the Budget. Whether any withstand the scrutiny of time is a matter of speculation, but the NRC’s sorry fiscal state of affairs is beyond question.

Opinion Leader:
The Hon John Manley,

The Hon John Manley, Minister of Industry

Investing in Innovation
By The Hon John Manley,
Minister of Industry

It is imperative that we innovate. The Government of Canada has been promoting and encouraging innovation for the last six years.

Genome Canada scores with $160 million in year-end money to establish national research program

The federal government has given the go-ahead to Genome Canada with $160 million in funding in an attempt to propel Canada back into the rapidly evolving sector, three years after Ottawa’s ill-fated 1997 decision to curtail support for the Canadian Genome Analysis and Technology (CGAT) program.

Alberta launches permanent endowment to fund since and engineering research and unveils new economic development blueprint

Twenty years after the idea was first conceived, Alberta has finally moved to establish a $500 billion endowment for science and engineering, with the potential to ramp up to $1 billion by 2005 if oil and gas revenues remain strong.

Details on Canada Research Chairs program await Cabinet approval of enabling legislation

The federal government is steaming ahead with the formation of the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program, creating 2,000 research chairs over the next five years at a cost of $900 million to create a new breed of virtual university.

News Bites

Number 1 / Volume 14 / February 25, 2000

Editorial

We are pleased to bring you this first issue of a re-launched RE$EARCH MONEY, Canada’s most authoritative source of information on research and technology policy, funding and investment.

The publication of RE$EARCH MONEY was suspended early this year when its parent firm declared bankruptcy.

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL AND BIG PHARMA RENEW RESEARCH PROGRAM WITH AIM OF BOOSTING FUNDING FOR BASIC RESEARCH

The Medical Research Council’s much vaunted joint research program with the pharmaceutical sector has finally been renewed for a second five-year term with provision for significantly higher contributions from the public purse.

Data provide snapshot of federal R&D spending

Three-year-old Statistics Canada data detailing the geographic distribution of federal S&T spending provide a revealing snapshot of the negative impact of Program Review on government outlays. After reaching a historic high of $4.

Top 15 Recipient Institutions

Top 15 Recipient Institutions
($ millions)

Institution Amount

Sunnybrook Health Science Centre 83.711
McMaster Univ 32.715
Univ of Western Ontario 30.602
Univ of British Columbia 24.344
Univ of Alberta 20.

GOVERNMENT LIKELY TO DEFER RESEARCH FUNDING PROPOSAL FOR ICT SECTOR, DESPITE RAPIDLY GROWING DEMAND

Inadequate public funding for information and communications technologies (ICT) research at the university level is drying up the discovery pipeline and threatening one of the fastest growing sectors of the Canadian economy, says a new study sponsored by the Canadian Institute for Telecommunications Research (CITR).

New funding for Networks of Centres of Excellence facilitates rapid expansion of key university-industry program

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program has awarded $52 million over four years to three new networks following a long and exhaustive selection and review process, bringing to 18 the number of networks within the widely respected program .

STATSCAN WITHDRAWS INDUSTRIAL R&D SURVEY AFTER CONCERNS RAISED BY QUEBEC

Problems and delays continue to plague Statistics Canada’s showcase industrial R&D survey following the decision two years ago to use Revenue Canada data for firms spending less than $1 million s year on R&D.

News Bites