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Most departments and agencies register declines

Federal spending on S&T fueled by stimulus funding reached an all-time high of $11.87 billion in FY10-11 but is projected to drop back by 5.0% to $11.

One of Canada’s largest pension funds is making a serious foray into venture capital investing with a commitment to deploy $180 million over the next three years — the largest pool of patient, long-term capital in the country -— and the prospect of much more to come.

Years of substantial increases to the R&D budgets of the higher education sector have ground to a halt with little prospect that the glory days of the late 1990s and early 2000s will return anytime soon.

Ontario’s experiment with a ministry devoted solely to science and technology has ended after only six years. The Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI) has been merged with the Ministry of Economic Development as part of a smaller Cabinet, unveiled following the re-election of Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government.

Canada may not score high on national innovation indicators but it has taken the lead internationally in tackling the challenge with the first national consortium dedicated to boosting commercialization of publicly funded research and connecting homegrown companies with global markets.

Reaction is split on two key recommendations by the Expert Panel Report on Federal Support to Research and Development to change the eligibility rules for R&D tax credits and fundamentally alter the structure of the National Research Council (NRC).

Jenkins Panel: SR&ED

The release of the Jenkins Panel report on federal support for business innovation has unleashed a torrent of debate over a suite of proposals designed to enhance Canadian innovation by boosting corporate R&D spending.

A long-awaited report being released today is calling for the complete dismantling of the National Research Council (NRC) and significant reductions in the federal R&D tax credit program with the savings shifted to programs that directly support business R&D.

Mark Roman steps down after six months

Jim Roche is back in the driver’s seat at CANARIE to steer the organization through a key phase of its mandate renewal following the unexpected resignation of president and CEO Mark Roman October 12th after just six months on the job.

Canadian indifference to intellectual property (IP) must be met with a concerted national strategy to ensure that investments in S&T are not squandered, according to a new report from the Canadian International Council (CIC).