Closures imminent as science facilities grapple with loss of research support funding

NSERC MRS program suspended

A report issued by the New Democratic Party is calling for the "immediate reversal" of a moratorium placed on a key research support program that will result in the closure of eight facilities that are home to $81 million worth of unique scientific equipment. The decision to impose a moratorium on the Major Resources Support (MRS) program at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) eliminates funding the facilities used to hire research technicians and to purchase of smaller piece of equipment at dozens of facilities across the country.

Last year, 39 research facilities received $35 million through MRS, including such high-profile facilities as the Canadian Light Source — the single largest recipient of MRS funding — and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen, an Arctic research vessel that can be seen on the back of $50 bills.

The eight facilities facing closure received just $1.3 million through MRS in FY10-11 (see chart). Only five facilities are listed in the report — entitled Pennywise, Pound Foolish: Major Resources Program Moratorium Impact Report — with the remaining three choosing to remain anonymous.

The facilities that will remain open report varying degrees of disruption, including staff layoffs, deferment of equipment purchases and delays in conducting research. Of the 28 respondents, 27 already charge user fees.

The office of NDP science critic Kennedy Stewart produced the report after conducting a survey of last year's MRS recipients. Of the 39 funded facilities, the 28 that responded represent $2 billion in capital investment with the majority from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), employ 533 staff, trained 5,667 post-doctoral fellows, graduates and technicians and assisted nearly 9,400 users in FY10-11.

The MRS program was launched in 2006, replacing the Major Facilities Access program which was created in 1998. Since 2001, the two programs have provided $230 million to more than 70 facilities,

NSERC's decision to place a moratorium on the MRS program (and cancel the Research Tools and Instrumentation program) was in response to the federal government's decision to cut $15 million in funding to NSERC in the last federal Budget (replaced by an equivalent amount in targeted funding) (R$, April 17/12).

"The speed with which this was done without consultation left researchers scrambling and no time to look for alternative sources of funding. It's very detrimental," says Stewart, NDP member for Burnaby-Douglas. "The moratorium removed a key piece of the funding puzzle. We need small amounts of funding to keep these large, capital intensive facilities operating."

"As part of the Government of Canada's efforts to return to balanced budgets, the NSERC Major Resources Support (MRS) Program will no longer be accepting new applications at this time. Commitments for existing instalments will be honoured, however there will be a moratorium on the MRS Program." —
Original NSERC statement on MRS funding moratorium

The NDP decision to examine the impact of the MRS moratorium was triggered by a May 3rd letter of concern signed by 47 scientists and sent to several politicians of all political stripes as well as the presidents of NSERC and the CFI. The task was taken on by Kennedy who, in consultation with several scientists, developed a questionnaire which was sent out in June to last year's MRS recipients.

The impact of the facility closures and showdowns will result in fewer staff equipment purchases but the report notes that the impact of the cuts is far more pervasive.

"As these are unique facilities, the specialized training will not be replaced by other institutions within Canada. Collections may not be preserved and highly specialized equipment will fall into disuse," states the report. "A significant, but intangible, value housed within these facilities is the collective experience and expertise of its staff, users and trainees. This resource requires long-term funding security during which the reputation and sense of community of a facility can develop."

Stewart says the unilateral decision to suspend the MRS program — whether it was made by NSERC or the government — is indicative of a pattern of behavior that has sent a chill throughout the scientific community and prompted the well-attended Death of Evidence protest in Ottawa in July, (R$, July 31/12). He says it also explains the reluctance of some survey respondents to be publicly identified.

"We gave respondents the choice to remain anonymous and some told me about a chill in the scientific community. They're afraid to speak out as they might be targeted, says Stewart. "The government treats these professionals as some kind of cogs and they don't appreciate it … I recently met with the national science advisor to the South Korean president and he couldn't understand the direction of the Canadian government and the shabby treatment of our researchers."

Dr Dominic Ryan, a McGill Univ professor, head of the Canadian Institute for Neutron Scattering (CINS) and a signatory to the May 3rd letter, says the MRS program costs relatively little and does "so much good" that it should be expanded rather than suspended. He says the future of CINS — the recipient of the largest competitive grant from MRS —is unclear after March 31/13

"There's a government bias for industrial-focused research and there's certainly a place for that, but we also need centralized facilities to go to like other countries," says Ryan. "These unique facilities enable research ... Shut the facilities and you lose the people and lose the expertise which often attracts people to these facilities. Why cancel a program before you have a replacement in place?"

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