Canada Science Bytes
March 05, 2004
Canada Science Bytes is a regular compilation of news briefs on the science job market and announcements of funding competitions and conferences. It provides the latest career-related information coming out of research, industry, government, and higher education institutions in Canada, as well as descriptions, deadlines, and contact information for upcoming awards, grants, and fellowships for Canadian students and faculty. Check back often for the most recent updates.
Workopolis Joins Forces With U.S. Jobs Site
Workopolis.com, which claims to be Canada's biggest Internet job and recruiting site, has stretched its reach south of the border. On 18 February, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported that Workopolis had teamed up with Chicago-based CareerBuilder.com. Workopolis was launched in 2000 through a partnership of three Canadian media companies, The Globe and Mail division of Bell Globe Media, Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., and Gesca Ltd. By joining forces, the two job placement companies aim to provide a more complete North American scope for employers and job seekers by sharing job postings.
Tuition Fees--A Promise Set to Be Broken?
There was much media speculation last week about the recently elected Ontario Liberal government's agenda with respect to freezing tuition fees at universities and colleges across the province. An article published in The Toronto Star on 24 February revealed that a leaked cabinet document demonstrated the McGuinty government's plan to put a temporary freeze on undergraduate programs only, while postgraduate programs and professional programs such as engineering, medicine, and computer programming would be allowed to rise as much as 5% a year for the next 2 years. This goes against the Liberal government's election promise last fall of immediately freezing all college and university tuition for at least 2 years.
The Liberals quickly denied the damaging Star report and stated that it has no plans to renege on its tuition obligation. An official government announcement about new tuition regulations is expected soon.
Pilot Program to Support Community Innovation Initiatives
On 12 February, the federal government announced a new $3.6 million pilot program to support innovation initiatives by community colleges and institutes.
"Canada's colleges are emerging as important players in the country's innovation system," Lucienne Robillard, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, said in a press release. "This new pilot program will increase their capacity to work with local industry and businesses and to advance innovation at the community and regional level."
The community innovation initiative was developed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) in partnership with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges. If successful in the first competition this year, a college can receive up to $600,000 over 3 years, which can be used to assist local businesses and companies in bringing innovations to market as well as to support the development of the new expertise necessary to assess and exploit new technology. The latter could include release time for faculty to participate in projects with companies, student participation in these hands-on initiatives, and demonstrations of the feasibility of new technologies and processes.
CFI Simplifies Grant Application Process
The Canada Foundation for Innovation's newly appointed president, Eliot Phillipson, is already trying to make headway in his new role before he officially takes office on 1 July. Phillipson is attempting to convince Canada's three granting agencies that the grant application process needs to be more coordinated and streamlined. According to a news item in the 27 February issue of Science, Phillipson is looking to convince NSERC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to allow researchers to apply for infrastructure and operating grants in one shot.
Postgraduate Theses Now Available on the Web
As reported in the March 2004 issue of University Affairs, there is now an official online database containing more than 32,000 doctoral and masters' theses dating from 1998 to 2002. Theses Canada is run by the National Library of Canada and is purportedly the largest free, full-text database of electronic theses available in the world.
The database represents a boon for academic libraries around the country, who consider the electronic storage of theses as a godsend when it comes to the use of library resources and space. For more details about the history of the project, read this University Affairs article.
Canada and Spain Cooperate on Genomics Projects
Genome Canada and Genome Spain are jointly funding three new collaborative large-scale genomics initiatives. The CAD 16 million deal (about EUR 10.5 million) signed by the two organizations last month is designed to foster scientific and industrial cooperation in both countries.
The Canadian projects included in the joint funding program include:
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A Genome BC grape genomics project to develop more disease- and pest-resistant varieties, worth a total of CAD 6.2 million.
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Research in Atlantic Canada to identify biological factors that may improve halibut aquaculture. Researchers at the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Biological Station in New Brunswick and from the commercial aquaculture company Scotian Halibut Ltd. will collaborate with their Spanish colleagues at the Instituto de Investigacion y Technologia Agroalimentairias on the CAD 5.1 million project.
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Researchers at the Ontario Genomics Institute and colleagues in Spain were jointly awarded CAD 6 million to identify genes implicated in mental illnesses.
