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Quebec’s new Liberal government is reducing tax assistance to business by 20% across the board and providing modest spending initiatives targeting entrepreneurship, new venture and angel financing and the creation of a $150-million fund to support the innovation performance of smaller firms.

Ontario’s knowledge-based industries, research infrastructure, venture capital for the life sciences and procurement of innovative products and processes are all back on the table with the election last week of a majority Liberal government.

Evidence For Democracy (E4D), a national organization advocating science and evidence-based decision making by government, is boosting the size of a network of experts to work within the scientific community to mobilize and strengthen its voice.

Data don’t match government assertions

The federal government has reduced its spending on science and technology by $1.7 billion or 14.4% over the past five years, according to new data from Statistics Canada.

The Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery (CQDM) is joining forces with neuroscience research organization to launch the largest funding program in its history. CQDM announced a partnership with Montreal-based Brain Canada and is finalizing an agreement with the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) to launch the Focus on Brain program worth between $10 million and $15 million, targeting a host of technology areas that could help Canada sustain and advance its status as a powerhouse in neuroscience research and knowledge translation.

Brain Canada is “exactly on target” in its goal to match the federal government’s $100-million commitment to neuroscience research. The Montreal-based organization has $35 million in solid commitments from philanthropists, corporations and non-governmental organizations and is on track to raise as much as $60 million by the end of the year.

The National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) reported $89 million in new investment by its members in 2013, a 120% increase over the previous year, according to a report based on its latest annual survey.

The ongoing debate on whether universities are graduating students with job-ready skills has prompted the Natural Sciences and Research Council to boost its support for a program that is attempting to change the training and mentorship culture for young researchers seeking careers in industry, government and academia.

There’s a groundswell of interest surrounding the National Research Council’s new concierge service that suggests it has hit a nerve among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking financial and other assistance to grow their tech-based businesses.

Retired industrialist Michael G DeGroote has added to a previous donation to McMaster Univ with a $50-million gift to its School of Medicine. The latest donation was made during the graduation ceremony for more than 200 medical students.