Quebec government issues progress report on new S&T policy; outlines next moves

IP policy for universities harmonized

The Quebec government has issued its first progress report on the implementation of its new science and innovation policy, demonstrating why the province is leading all Canadian jurisdictions for progressive and inclusive S&T policy that spans all sectors of society. The document outlines changes and new programs enacted to date, emphasizing the impressive structural adjustments in the areas of the provincial granting councils, industry sector development, university-industry liaison and commercialization.

The first-year results document also points the way for the next set of initiatives that include new action plans for intellectual property (IPO) management, indirect costs of university research and S&T promotion and dissemination. And the gains Quebec is making have been accomplished in spite of falling short on the funding required for full implementation.

“Two thirds of the structuring measures proposed in the policy were initiated,” says Marc Ferland, assistant DM for promotion and liaison with the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MRST). “We still need more money for implementation and the money we have received often didn’t come in the way we had outlined in the policy. For instance, the $250 million we received in the 2002-2003 budget was not expected.”

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MECHANISMS ENHANCED

At the time of the S&T policy’s release, the government signaled its intent to boost its gross expenditures on R&D (GERD) as a percentage of provincial gross domestic product (PGDP) from its current 2.1% in 1998 to the G-7 average of 2.47% between 2006 and 2010 (R$, February 12/01). According to 1999 Statistics Canada data, however, the GERD/PGDP ratios was already 2.32% and Ferland that when the 2001 data is released, Quebec will have surpassed 2.5%, achieving its objective well ahead of schedule.

“Over the last 10 years, Quebec has had an annual growth (in R&D spending) of 7.6% so we may have to raise our (GERD to GDP) target to 3.0%,” says Ferland. “European S&T ministries are already doing this. They met four or five months ago and are reconsidering the targets in their agenda.”

In the 15 months between the unveiling of the S&T policy and the release of the update, Quebec moved on several fronts. In the all-important area of university research, it established four corporations designed to accelerate commercialization, spurred by an initial $50-million grant from Valorisation-Recherche Québec (VRQ). It also completed the restructuring of its three provincial granting councils, endowing equal status on Fonds en sciences humaines et sociales to those of Fonds de la recherche en santé au Québec and Fonds québecois de recherche sur la nature et les technologies.

In FY01-02, the granting councils were given a 12% funding increase, bringing their collective total to $152.8 million annually. Their mandates are now aligned with their federal counterparts, each is armed with a new business plan. and budgetting is now conducted on a three-year rolling cycle.

“One of the keystones of the new S&T policy was the restructuring,” says Ferland. “It was quite a job to complete while they were still operating.”

IP MANAGEMENT GETS PROVINCE-WIDE POLICY

Subsequent to the release of the update, the province has developed an IP management policy that applies to institutions that receive funding from the three granting councils, VRQ and provincial ministries. MRST recently released an action plan outlining 49 measures to be implemented. The policy harmonized IP management across all institutions, making it easier for companies to enter into collaboration with the academic sector.

“We’re creating a virtuous circle. The universities are quite comfortable with the conclusions of the (consultation) committee and the action plan. The rules need to be clear and ethical when using public funds. There’s public responsibility when they are spending this money,” says Ferland. “Monitoring (of the new policy) will start in 2003 and each university has to inform its researchers and technicians that new rules exist. No other province has done this to my knowledge. The goal is to protect research and ensure that society benefits.”

Within three months, a second action plan will be released outlining how the government’s IP policy relates to government departments. While the goals are similar (broad social benefit, increased commercialization), the formula for benefit sharing will be different to reflect the different sets of players involved with the ministries.

“The idea is to be proactive. It’s a question of social interest,” he says. “The grants and contracts of the departments are different but we can’t be too strict. This is more difficult than the action plan for universities.”

For colleges, MRST has increased funding to the province’s six CLTs (centres de liaison et de transfert) by 20%. It has provided additional money for its 23 CCTTs (centres collégiaux de transfert de technologie) for a total of $2.3 million annually, jointly funded by MRST and the ministry of education. In addition, it has removed the moratorium on new CCTTs, and four new ones are anticipated in the coming months.

The S&T policy reinforces the prov-ince’s interventionist strategy for encouraging the growth of knowledge-based industries. The update notes that $10 million has been granted to Nano Québec over three years, targetting institutions that want to create integrated research programs.

Genomics has received $40 million over four years to support five projects initiated by Genome Québec and MRST has already indicated that it will support the Genome Québec projects approved in the second round of competition by Genome Canada.

The Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has received $5.9 million to help construct a $15-million laboratory for micro- and nano manufacturing.

With so many new initiatives now under way, the province has bolstered its ability to generate strategic information and provide forecasting. It has created Observatoire réseau en science et en innovation (OSRIQ) to organize and monitor new research and innovation initiatives, and strengthen joint activities between provincial ministries and relevant agencies. It has been given an $810,000 budget to establish itself and Ferland says it will likely be in operation by early 2003. Ferland says OSRIQ will compliment the Counseil de le science et de la technologie (CST) and Observatoire des sciences et des technologies. OSRIQ will assume some of CST’s activities, while the CST has been expanded to include a commission on S&T ethics. The CST has also established an advisory committee to deal with the state of Quebec’s scientific and technical culture.

MRST has also helped support the creation of at international research institute for biomedical ethics.

Another vehicle designed to track the province’s S&T and R&D assets is a new inventory system to produce an evolving picture of competencies. The Carte des competences de la recherche universitaire will also provide performance trends relative to other research systems and feed the information back into the province’s planning and budgetary processes.

“This is a very interesting project,” says Ferland, “It will ensure that everyone has the equipment and infrastructure they need to fulfill their mandates because it’s getting quite complex It will also feed into the budget process.”

WORK ON INDIRECT COSTS CONTINUES

Perhaps the highest item on Quebec’s science and innovation agenda is the issue of indirect costs for university research. The province is currently working to determine exactly what indirect costs entail and identify where the money will come from to pay for them. Indirect costs vary dramatically from discipline to discipline, and the issue of who pays is complicated by the various funding sources for university research.

The federal government is widely expected to introduce a new funding mechanism for indirect costs associated with its funded research and the provinces are beginning to grapple with the issue as well.

“This has a high level of priority because there’s a problem there,” says Ferland.

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