Funding Research

We hear constantly about the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper starving our universities of needed funding. Of keeping funding from vital scientific and research groups. Of Canada falling severely behind other developed countries in funding its scientific community. Of what a disgrace it is that this government has not been active in helping to develop programs to facilitate critical research.

There may be areas of funding where there is a regrettable shortfall. On the other hand, while this is a wealthy country were are still grappling with some financial insecurity, waiting for the economy to fully recover. Still, we can't be doing too badly on the university-funding, research-granting horizon when in two different newspapers in two distinctly separate areas of research, in two universities in two provinces, news emerges that we've scored some rather fascinating coups.

The University of Ottawa, in the nation's capital, has been granted an extra $25-million to establish what is claimed will be a world-class photonics research centre. Recruiting an expert in the field, Professor Robert W. Boyd, from the University of Rochester. Dr. Boyd becomes the inaugural Canada Excellence Research Chair in Quantum Nonlinear Optics. One of 19 researchers at 13 universities across Canada.

For each chair that is established through the Canada Excellence Research Chair program which was created in 2008 - which is to say under the current Conservative-led government - $10-million is made available over several years in support of those appointed to the chairs and their research teams. That's not too shabby, is it? With that funding ensured universities are also able to raise additional funds through other sources.

Dr. Boyd, acknowledging an existing "enormous amount" of infrastructure in photonics at the university, looks forward to taking matters to a more elevated level. "We will turn this into one of the - if not the - leading world centres for research in photonics"; the control of light for useful purposes - telecommunications, for example.

Is he enthusiastic at the challenge before him? "I don't know anyone who's ever been given this much research funding to come to a new university", he said. His previous research experience has taken him toward physics, engineering, classical and quantum non-linear optics. He and his team will be working with technologies present both at the university and the National Research Council.

Wait: there's more... A list of 19 top academics have been enlisted - some term it lured - from foreign universities to continue their work in Canada. Four of Britain's high-achieving researchers have been successfully 'poached' through seemingly irresistible offers to join the government's Canada Excellence Research Chair program as chair appointees.

Among them Professor Howard Wheater who leaves England to do his research now in Canada, at the University of Saskatchewan, leading a professional staff of 85, with a budget of $30-million over seven years. His research: water security issues. He was impressed that the university has no fewer than five Canada Research Chairs and 65 faculty with water-related interests, in a developing new science.

A science that takes into account river flows in decline, glacier alterations in the headwaters of the Rockies which have lost 35% of their volume in 25 years. While water demand is on the increase for industrial and agricultural use, the water we use and need is declining in its availability. Ecotoxicohydrology is this scientist's speciality.

And Canada will be the better for it.