Editorial - 15-5

Budget or no Budget, the month of March marks the end of the government's fiscal year and it's producing some very good news for Canadian science and technology (S&T). Genome Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Networks of Centres of Excellence have all received major cash infusions. And while they don't all involve year-end money, they're the beneficiaries of the Liberal administration's strategy to brand Canada as a leading innovative nation.

As this week's lead story explains, only time will tell whether a new nano technology facility in Edmonton will also be a winner in the March S&T sweepstakes. The National Research Council has worked tirelessly to argue the case for Canadian participation in nanotechnology research, and Edmonton has been tagged as the best bet for building a cluster.

The government is also promising movement in areas of critical importance to the private sector. But there are still many other issues that require attention, including nuclear research, indirect costs of university research and granting council budgets. Let's hope the end of March won't curtail the encouraging signs that this government is finally getting its S&T act together.