Quebec government softens blow to research funding cuts but concerns remain

The recently elected Quebec government has partially acquiesced to mounting opposition to $63 million in cuts to its research portfolio with a reallocation of $26.5 million directed towards R&D for climate change and health. The decision to reduce the cuts to $36.5 million comes after several groups stated their concerns over their impact — most recently a group of eight innovation consortia that represent the most technology-intensive sectors of the provincial economy.

The cuts are just the latest signs of turmoil in the government's strategic planning for research and innovation. It started with the defeat of the previous Liberal government which was well advanced in updating the Quebec Research and Innovation Strategy (SQRI). The Parti Québécois is replacing SQRI with its own National Policy for Research and Innovation (PNRI) which is slated for release in April.

The change in strategy development, coupled with the government's decision to eliminate its annual deficit by FY14-15 fuelled the decision to reduce research expenditures. But the province's innovation consortia say the cuts put Quebec's future economic prosperity at risk.

In a joint communique issued February 5th, the group asserts that the sectors they serve "represent a significant portion of Quebec's GDP and constitute essential vectors of prosperity and the common good for our society".

"The eight consortia of Quebec innovation are very concerned about the consequences of such cuts to our economic development," states the communique. "Two of these consortia, CRIAQ (aerospace) and PROMPT (information and communications technology) have emerged over 10 years and have set the standard in innovation ecosystems in high-tech sectors."

"The eight consortia compete for funds but after the cuts were announced we came out collectively and said, you can't shrink the whole pie that much," says PROMPT president Dr Charles Despins, adding that consortia members are in discussions with the government to determine where the cuts will be applied. "The government responded with a reduction in the cuts so we remain cautiously optimistic they will be managed in a way that maintains the critical mass of the research community."

The indecision of the government on research does not auger well for research at the upcoming Summit on Higher Education to be held in Montreal February 25-26. Many contend that the summit will be largely highjacked by the student movement which continues to push for tuition freezes. The likelihood that research will struggle to achieve any profile at the summit has led many to predict its failure. Dr Heather Munroe-Blum, outgoing principal and vice-chancellor of McGill Univ, has gone as far as to call the summit a "farce".

Despins also expects the summit will be preoccupied with the toxic issue of tuition rates and the larger role of universities. But he notes that Pierre Duchesne, minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, has pledged to hold a one-day multi-sector workshop to discuss innovation prior to the release of the new strategy.

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