Letter to the Editor: Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology)

Response to Column by Kennedy Stewart and Laurin Liu in RE$EARCH, MONEY, April 3, 2013

I would like to clarify some misconceptions that Kennedy Stewart and Laurin Liu seem to have about federal support for research and the transformation of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) (R$, April 3/13).

First, earlier this week, I was proud to announce that NRC has transformed into an industry-focused research and technology organization. The refocused NRC will work with industry to bridge technology gaps, helping build a more innovative Canadian economy.

Now, turning to the federal investment in research and development, I would remind Mr Stewart and Ms Liu that Economic Action Plan 2013 was recently applauded by Canada's 15 leading research universities (the U15), which undertake 80% of all competitive university research in Canada. U15 President Amit Chakma stated that our government has "prudently chosen to maintain funding to the crucial innovation sectors that will help generate solutions to our pressing social and economic challenges."

With such an endorsement in mind, I would like to set the record straight on our commitments. Since 2006, we have provided significant new resources to support advanced research in Canada.

Mr Stewart and Ms Liu cite a Statistics Canada report that said science and technology funding declined 6% last year. What they did not say was that the same report attributed the decline to "a return to more normal levels as a result of the conclusion of federal stimulus spending."

Even in the midst of the global economic downturn, when tough choices had to be made, our government chose to continue investing in science and technology. Those investments are helping make our universities and colleges world-class sources of knowledge, guided by a vigorous international peer-review process.

Helped by these investments, Canada leads all other G7 countries in higher-education research and development spending intensity.

While discovery-driven basic research remains essential to our government's approach, we also believe in the transformative potential of science in the marketplace. We are working to promote the commercialization of ideas because the quality of life of Canadians depends on productivity and innovation in the private sector.

In making decisions we have not operated in isolation. We have consulted scientists, academics and business people-and Canada's innovation system is stronger for it.

Gary Goodyear

Minister of State (Science and Technology)