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Exclusive On-line interview with Dr Camille Limoges

The Quebec government has some serious explaining and accounting to do following several controversial initiatives in its March 30th Budget, according to a key architect of science and technology policy in the province.

S&T figures prominently in the Quebec government’s efforts to curb its growing debt and stimulate economic activity with a major overhaul of key institutions and agencies combined with $1.1 billion in mostly new innovation-related spending.

Is Canada lagging in industrial R&D?

Greater direct R&D support for industry is essential to grow the base of existing firms while universities must be given the freedom to pursue fundamental research unfettered by strategies that seek to align academic research to the needs of industry.

The following chart was provided to RE$EARCH MONEY by Industry Canada. It breaks down the recent federal Budget’s funding decisions for S&T and innovation, with the majority allocated over five- and two-year timeframes.

Few new initiatives

Strategic reviews and advisory committees threatened to outnumber the number of new S&T initiatives in the 2010 federal Budget as the Conservative government unveiled its medium-term deficit reduction plan for eliminating billions in red ink.

RE$EARCH MONEY On-Line Budget Discussion

Anticipation within the S&T community leading up to the March 4th federal Budget made the government’s plans for the sector the subject of considerable speculation.

By Debbie Lawes

A Toronto start-up company commercializing a new delivery system for cancer drugs has received $500,000 from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), one of the last awards to be made by the institute pending renewed funding from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.

Nearly half of all federal support for biotechnology in FY08-09 was provided through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), which allocated nearly 92% to the higher education sector, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada.

Lobbying has already begun to seek ongoing operating funds for the NEPTUNE and VENUS underwater laboratories despite a two-year, $24 million reprieve for the facilities announced last December. The funding was secured through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) — Canada’s agency for research infrastructure support — even though the money will be used exclusively to meet operating expenses.