Science Policy Conference talks online
The folks behind the Canadian Science Policy Conference have posted videos on their site of all the talks from the conference held last month in Toronto. There’s a lot there, and I encourage anyone...
View ArticleUK slashes funding for physics projects, students
The British physics community has been left staggering after yesterday’s announcement of cuts totalling more than £115-million ($198-million Cdn). The cuts are concentrated among projects in nuclear,...
View Article2009 – a look back at science policy
Happy New Year, everyone. Like so many others, I’ve emerged from holiday exile and am back at it today, ready to bid farewell to 2009 and engage with what will surely be an eventful 2010. Despite the...
View Article2010 – a rough ride ahead
Yesterday, I gave a brief look back at 2009 in science policy. Today, I cast my eye ahead, and point to some broad trends I’ll be watching. Of course, it’s a mug’s game to make predictions, but heck –...
View ArticleIgnatieff’s vision for postsecondary education
With parliament prorogued for a couple of months, Official Leader of the Opposition Michael Ignatieff is on tour, talking to Canadians, trying to improve his Stephane Dion-like popularity ratings....
View ArticleGreen brain drain?
A series by François Cardinal in Montreal’s La Presse this week suggests that climate researchers are preparing to lead a brain drain from Canadian campuses (here, here, and here). The suggested reason...
View ArticleNature editorial slams Canadian science policy
“Canada needs a bigger vision of where its science is going”, according to an editorial published today in the British journal Nature. I strongly suggest you read it. It’s not flattering. The journal...
View ArticleConservatives suggested “Chief Scientist” in policy outline
Over at Frogheart, Maryse de la Giroday responded to Nature’s criticism of Canada’s absent science policy by going to straight to the horses’ mouths and posting an interesting analysis of her results....
View ArticleCan Canada Keep Up?
China has surpassed all countries but the US in research output, and should move into the top position within the next decade, according to a ThomsonReuters analysis. India is also on the move, and...
View ArticleNSERC sees researchers as out-source labour
A couple months ago, NSERC announced two new programs as part of its “Strategies for Partnership and Innovation”. Engage grants are designed to cover direct project costs for up to 6 months and a total...
View ArticleResearch Funding at Risk
While the country is focused on the Olympics, and government is prorogued for “recalibration”, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is busy shaping the 2010 Federal Budget. Perhaps to soften the blow, senior...
View ArticleNo Research in Speech From the Throne
Yesterday, the government outlined the results of its ‘recalibration’ with a speech from the throne (.pdf here). In broad strokes, the government outlined its vision for the recovering economy and...
View ArticleBudget 2010 – A Qualified Success
What a difference a year makes. Last year’s cuts to the research granting councils, though relatively small, were magnified by their inclusion in a so-called “stimulus budget” full of spending...
View ArticlePost-budget roundup
Things here at the Researcher Forum have been quiet since the budget (I’ve been busy and away…). A few weeks have passed, the dust has cleared, and I figured I’d take stock – a survey of internet...
View ArticleWhy Canada is bush-league at innovation
This is what it looks like when a country is serious about innovation. UBC Nobel Prize winner Carl Wieman has been recruited to advise US President Barack Obama on science policy and science education....
View ArticleWhither the NRC?
Last week, the Government announced John McDougall’s appointment as the new President of the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. His appointment provides an opportunity to point something out:...
View ArticleRecent Roundup
Hello all, It’s been a long time. Life got in the way of blogging, but things have sorted themselves and I’m back in the science policy saddle. Lots has piled up while I was away. Today I’m going to...
View ArticlePost-docs are not students, also not really employees
Post-doctoral fellows are employees, not students, according to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA). But they’re a special kind of employee – the kind that pays taxes but doesn’t receive any employee...
View ArticleManning as champion of science
A couple of articles this weekend highlighted former Reform Party leader Preston Manning’s emergence as a voice of support for better science policy in this country. Having seen him speak on the...
View ArticleCERCs: Innovative Research, Stale Criticism
Canada’s poor innovation record in science and technology is well-documented and much maligned. Less well-publicized is our abysmal track record of innovation in complaint and criticism. This week, the...
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