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British Columbia’s burgeoning biotechnology sector is on the cusp of achieving global stature and Genome BC may be just the catalyst it requires to push it over the top. Armed with a wealth of academic and private sector expertise, the province is ranked as the third largest concentration of biotechnology in Canada and the twentieth in North America.

Saskatchewan’s new $11-million Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) is beginning operations under a cloud following the late-September mass firing of the Saskatchewan Research Council’s (SRC) president/CEO and its 14-member board of directors.

A contribution of $120 million by three Research in Motion Ltd (RIM) executives to establish an institute for theoretical physics is being viewed as a powerful incentive that could trigger a massive increase in philanthropy dedicated to fundamental research.

The Liberal government has made research, innovation and the knowledge-based economy central planks in its re-election strategy, with a commitment to increase its spending on R&D by at least $1 billion by FY04-05.

Three finalists have been announced for the new Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, with the winner to be announced at a December 7 ceremony hosted by the Governor General of Canada.

The Quebec government’s new tax holiday program for major investments is being utilized by one of the province’s fastest growing firms in the hot technology sector of fibre optics. EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc has been granted a 10-year tax credit that exempts the Vanier PQ-based manufacturer from paying taxes on company income, capital and the employer contribution to Quebec’s Health Services Fund.

A strong case can be made that the CANMET Energy Technology Centre (CETC) is in an enviable position as attention increasingly turns towards urgent global issues such as climate change, energy efficiency and energy conservation.

The Royal Bank of Canada’s goal of creating a seed investment fund for agricultural technologies has finally been realized with the announcement of $42 million in financing for Foragen Technology Management Inc.

Fresh from its success in unifying its ambitious proposal to government, eMPOWR Canada is now refining its bid for funding to support expanded university research into strategic communications technologies.

Martin’s mini-budget targets the CFI for $500 million in new funding

Canada’s research community was the surprise beneficiary of the Liberal administration’s pre-election Economic Statement and Budget Update this week, with the announcement of $500 million in new funding for the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and $100 million over five years for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) (see page 2).