With the announcement of funding for a new Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC), a picture of the phenomenal potential of the nascent Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP) is coming into focus.

It’s finally arrived. After months of waiting, a freshly minted S&T Strategy has been bestowed on the nation from on high — by the prime minister no less. This has promoted the question that’s on everyone’s lips for the past two weeks: ‘So what do you think?’

The answer is, it’s an impressive foundation that could signal the beginning of a well-aligned, systems-approach to building out Canada’s knowledge-based economy.

There’s emerging consensus that Ottawa may be encouraging the provinces to take the lead on key files within the innovation portfolio. The latest example is the launch of an Alberta nanotechnology strategy (see lead story) — the second province after Quebec to emerge with a fully articulated approach to a specific platform technology.

After years of trying, Canada finally has a program dedicated to R&D collaboration with other nations. With an appropriate industrial focus and seasoned leadership, the International Science and Technology Partnerships Program is a welcome addition to the mix of instruments designed to increase innovation.

For a government that prides itself on promoting openness, transparency and accountability, the cancellation of a key industry advisory committee for Canada’s largest R&D program is bewildering (see lead story).

There are likely more than a few people in the S&T community trying to make sense of the research and innovation initiatives contained in last week’s federal Budget. While $1.3 billion in additional funding is welcome, we’re left scratching our heads at the rationale behind many funding decisions, especially for new initiatives.

It’s been a busy past few months for S&T policy wonks. In Ottawa, bureaucrats in Industry and Finance have completed their work on the eagerly anticipated S&T Strategy. In British Columbia and Ontario, strategies are in various stages of development, with releases expected in the coming weeks and months.

From Bill Gates to industry, the federal government is being told in no uncertain terms that investing in knowledge must be a key and substantial component of the upcoming Budget. Even its own committees are delivering the same message: invest in research, people and infrastructure or watch the nation’s competitive advantage slip away.

Who can blame the scientists and managers of Canada’s federal laboratories for feeling beleaguered these days? After absorbing seemingly endless waves of program review-related expenditure reductions, federal labs are facing not one but two studies to determine their future.

Canada’s ability to compete in the high-stakes world of R&D has been dramatically enhanced with a major cash infusion into high performance computing (HPC). With the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) putting $78 million on the table, HPC researchers from a wide range of disciplines will see $150 million flow into seven regional centres.