Cash Concerns For Canadian Scientists

摘要

Billions of dollars in science infrastructure investments have been overshadowed by cuts to major grant-funding programmes in Canada's federal budget. In the Can$40-billion (US$32.3-billion) stimulus budget released on 27 January, Prime Minister Stephen Harpers government promised Can$2 billion to post-secondary institutions to repair and expand their facilities (see 'Canada's budget breakdown). An estimated 70% of the cash will go to universities, much of it targeted towards upgrading existing labs. University heads were delighted with the funding boost for bricks-and-mortar projects. "Infrastructure funding is something we lobbied for and is needed. It's very exciting," says Rose Goldstein, vice-president of research at the University of Calgary, Alberta. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), which invests in research infrastructure, won an additional Can$750 million. This allows the organization to add Can$150 million to its current Can$400-million funding round, and to launch at least one additional round before the end of 2010. "Millions more dollars of really good projects are going to be funded and that's great news," says John Hepburn, vice-president of research at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The budget granted Can$110 million to the Canadian Space Agency for research into space robotics over the next three years. But some of that money will be redirected from Can$9.9 million in savings the agency is supposed to generate by increasing its efficiency and effectiveness through increased collaborations with academia and industry.