The current federal government should be commended for its support of the new Industrial R&D Internships program which will eventually place 1,000 students annually in a corporate setting to conduct focused, industrially relevant R&D.

News that a multi-agency working group is examining the issue of support for major science facilities is welcome news. As any administrator of Canada’s dozen or so big science facilities — both physical and virtual — will tell you, the current system is complex, cumbersome, time consuming and fraught with so much uncertainty that it could be contributing to the loss of highly-regarded research talent.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) appears to have lost its collective marbles. Long known for its relentless attacks on public good spending in any form, it has now set its sights on none other than CANARIE Inc, Canada’s globally respected broadband research network provider.

One enduring criticism of the Canadian research landscape is the plethora of programs and the myriad processes for accessing them. A research manager at a large facility like the Canadian Light Source, for example, must be well versed on a host of different funding pots, each aimed at a specific aspect of the R&D enterprise.

Ottawa is moving on its Budget commitment to review the scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED tax credit program. At stake is Canada’s future business R&D performance, which is being buffeted by a number of external forces challenging the nation’s ability to compete and prosper in an increasingly knowledge-based world.

The failure of the BIOCAP Canada Foundation to secure follow-on funding from the federal government is disturbing. By all accounts, the arm’s length organization was achieving its mandate and involving a diverse range of industry players in its various consortium-building projects focused on using biomass for alternative energy sources and combating global warming (see page 6).

Alberta is being handed a golden opportunity to enhance its nascent tech sector with the release of a report encouraging the government to provide strategic assistance to industry. The report calls upon the government of Ed Stelmach to open up the bulging provincial treasury and pony up $500 million or so to stimulate the formation and growth of technology-based firms (see page 5).

Canada finally appears to be putting the international in S&T. After years of paying lip service to the importance of international collaboration, the government is in serious catch-up mode with a flurry of activity that could yield significant benefits down the road.

Expect Canada’s Not-So-New Government to come out with a major policy initiative on nanotechnology in 2008. If the Conservative administration lasts that long, it will almost certainly be unveiling a strategy for how Canada can play a niche role in this diverse yet profoundly important area of S&T.

The recent success of Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics Inc (TRT) is being hailed as an example of the strength of the Toronto region’s stem cell research. While such a claim certainly has validity and should be celebrated, the strategy behind the Univ of Toronto spin-off’s initial growth and long-term objectives are equally important (see page 6).