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Collaboration between an Ontario high-tech company and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) is promising to open up a global marketplace for the recycling, upgrading and non-nuclear use of deuterium oxide (D20) – an enriched form of heavy water.

Alberta’s Conservative government is loosening the purse strings with its 2014 Budget with some of the new money flowing to research and innovation after a year which saw a freezing of spending due to a downturn in resource revenue.

A new organization representing young scholars around the world has released a baseline report that seeks to quantify the challenges facing early-career researchers once they receive their PhDs. Produced by the Global Young Academy (GYA), the report assesses the global knowledge on the state of young researchers in developed and developing nations and makes recommendations on ways to improve their working environments and opportunities for career advancement.

While the Budget offered few financial incentives for innovation-intensive companies, an accompanying report on The State of the Canadian Labour Market offers reason for optimism, according to the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC).

Government tax credits became more important to innovative businesses between 2007-09 and 2010-12 while the importance of government grants fell during the same period. The new data from Statistics Canada expose an apparent disconnect between the types of government support companies value the most and the government’s current rebalancing of assistance programs to include more direct support.

Targeted support for fast-growing businesses, recapitalization of a successful angel venture capital fund and a boost in the budget of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research highlight Quebec’s Budget plans for 2014-15, although its implementation will almost certainly be short circuited with the imminent call for a provincial election.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is putting the finishing touches on a strategic plan in which health innovation driven by large-scale collaborative projects in consensus-driven priorities areas will drive the agency’s investments for the next five years.

The ability of Canada’s largest universities to enhance core research competencies, attract top-flight talent and burnish their global brand received a major boost in the 2014 Budget with a $1.5 billion, 10-year commitment for a Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).

The Budget’s announcement of an additional $8 million for Mitacs extends the remarkable evolution of the organization into a key tool for delivering academic-industry collaboration and on-the-job skills training.

Budget industry reaction

The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) is looking beyond the federal Budget to the forthcoming revamped S&T Strategy for indications that the government is prepared to face challenges and seize on opportunities stemming from the rapidly accelerating digital economy.