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Budget 2012 – Government S&T Cuts

Federal science-based programs are seeing a 10% cut to their funding, far greater than the 6.9% average across government outlined in the recent federal Budget. While details of the impact of Ottawa’s austerity measures continue to trickle out, several examples are of particular concern to researchers, scientists and technicians working in key portfolios.

Budget 2012

Billed as a major change in direction for Canada’s research enterprise, Budget 2012 has responded with a host of initiatives and policy directives designed to boost the impact of previous and ongoing research investments by increasing collaboration between business and the academic sector.

Paul Dufour, Principal, PaulicyWorks “On a day when Canada’s flagship technology company RIM was announcing yet more disappointing financial results, the federal Minister of Finance in his annual budget once again tried to address the gaping hole in Canada’s innovation ecosystem-anemic private sector R&D performance.

$210-million project

IBM Research is investing $175 million in a consortium of seven Ontario universities for high performance, cloud and agile computing to stimulate the development of new industries in key areas of the provincial economy.

This year’s federal budget has elicited a wide range of both praise and criticism. Below are highlights taken from statements issued by Canada’s research and education communities:

Russell Williams, President, Canada’s Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D)

“We are concerned that proposed changes to the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit could be detrimental to life science research and development in Canada.

Budget 2012: SR&ED

The largest weapon in the government’s arsenal for incenting business R&D is going to get smaller with several changes being proposed that could free up as much as $600 million in direct support for companies.

“Break away from the status quo”

With the federal funding tap quickly closing, publicly funded innovation in an age of austerity is prompting Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) to think outside the box and recast its priorities and programs.

By Debbie Lawes

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has launched the first plank in an ambitious new strategy to fundamentally transform how Canada translates the billions of dollars invested in medical research over the past decade into better outcomes for patients, new commercial technologies and cost savings for cash-strapped provincial governments.

11TH Annual RE$EARCH MONEY ConferenceCanada’s Premier Innovation Event

“Budget 2012: Canada’s new innovation strategy for an age of austerity?”

May 16-17, 2012
Minto Suites, Ottawa

Speakers and Panelists include:
Adam Chowaniec, Chair, BelAir Networks
Kevin Lynch, Vice-Chair, BMO Financial Group
Peter Nicholson, author of CCA Report on Business Innovation
David Watters, president of Global Advantage Consulting Group Inc
Karna Gupta, president & CEO of ITAC
Jim Roche, president & CEO of CANARIE

To register:
http://www.

Cross-sectoral automotive research is taking a major step forward with the announcement of six new projects under Automotive Partnership Canada (APC). Slow in gaining momentum, the five-year, $145-million multi-partner program is significantly boosting the amount of R&D conducted in Canada, after decades in which US and other foreign automakers looked to Canada primarily as a automotive producer and assembler while keeping R&D close to headquarters.