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Pingback: More Highlights in Canada’s 2010 Federal Budget From Biotech, Venture Capital and Innovation Groups « The Cross-Border Biotech Blog
I’m confused the 2009 budget stated that CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC will be “streamlining operations and aligning programs with the objectives of the Government’s Science and Technology Strategy and national research priorities.” The budget suggests that $147.9-million will be cut from these budgets in the next three years… where is the extra $32 million?
The proposed budgets for Federal spending on science and technology is reasonable in view of the current economic situation in Canada and the importance of science and education in maintaining the competitiveness of Canada in the future in a knowledge-based global economy. However, I would have much preferred to actually have seen less funding for GenomeCanada and instead more funding for basic research in smaller scale projects through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). I believe that there has been a very poor economic return from the GenomeCanada projects to health care and the biotech industry. The GenomeCanada projects have been targeted to primarily whole genome sequencing studies at enormous cost with very little follow up and practical utility in the foreseeable future by health care professionals and industry. While charities such as the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada are concerned about the impact on health-related funding, the reality is that very little of the university-based research supported by charitable organizations in Canada also translate into useful applications. I believe that the Canadian government objective of more commercialization of funded research is well placed and in the best interest of tax payers. However, this is better achieved with stronger support for the biotech industry, which is floundering much more than the universities and other research industries in Canada at this time. If the Government truly wants to stimulate the development of improved diagnostics, therapeutics and employment opportunities for university graduates, then it should permit charitable organizations to directly fund commercial research in stronger academic-industry partnerships. At Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation, we operate a hybrid university-industry facility that provides research support and training for other university and industry-based labs. Much of our research is freely accessible to the broader research community. Increased support for the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) is one of many mechanisms by which the Federal government in Canada to support more initiatives like Kinexus and met its stated objective of more commercially-focused biomedical research.
Thanks a lot for a very concise post. For those interested in private capital start-ups, check Podium Finds in Calgary. We’re launching our first corporation with a launch party at Flames Central on April 28th. Hope to see those of you that are in Calgary at the event.