$1.9B for Research, Tech Innovations in Canada's 2010 Budget

Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty last week presented a budget plan for the upcoming year that includes $19 billion in new federal stimulus funds as part of Canada's two-year, $62 billion Economic Action Plan. The 2010 budget directs $1.9 billion, or 10 percent of the stimulus funds, for post-secondary education infrastructure, research, technology innovation and environmental protection.  A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education points to conflicting reactions to the proposed investments, however.

Although the 2010 budget would increase funding for the nation's three research granting councils by $32 million per year, the councils were cut nearly $150 million last year, which was never restored, the article states. When inflation is taken into account, this leaves the councils in worse shape than they were previously, said James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, in the article.

Meanwhile, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, representing 95 Canadian public and private universities, commended the proposed investments citing efforts such as the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, which they say is leading to cutting-edge discoveries through collaborative efforts of universities and research partners.

Measures to support clean energy generation and strengthen capacity for R&D and research commercialization are outlined in the budget. Highlights of the proposed investments include:

• $222 million over five years to strengthen research at TRIUMF, Canada's premier national laboratory for nuclear and particle physics research;
• $135 million over two years to the National Research Council Canada's regional innovation clusters program;
• $100 million over four years to establish the Next Generation Renewable Power Initiative to support development, commercialization and implementation of advanced clean energy technologies in the forestry sector;
• $75 million for genomics research;
• $48 million over two years for research, development and application of medical isotopes;
• $45 million over five years to establish a post-doctoral fellowship program to help attract researchers;
• $40 million over two years to launch a new small and medium-sized enterprise innovation commercialization program;
• $15 million in additional funds per year for the College and Community Innovation Program; and,
• $10 million for the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to support young entrepreneurs.

The Canadian Space Agency would receive $397 million over five years to develop the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, the next generation of advanced radar remote sensing satellites.

The 2010 budget boosts spending by $1.1 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, which is the smallest increase since 1997, reports The Globe and Mail. A three-point plan to decrease the more than $55 billion deficit to $1.8 billion by 2014-15 also is outlined in the proposal. The 2010 budget is available at: http://www.budget.gc.ca/2010/pdf/budget-planbudgetaire-eng.pdf