Science Council of BC cuts staff, seeks new role

The Science Council of British Columbia (SCBC) has dismissed one third of its 24 staff members following the government’s decision to eliminate three programs representing the majority of its operating budget. The dismissals are effective at the end of this month. SCBC is in discussions with provincial officials to determine its future direction.

“Other program delivery initiatives are close to announcement. We’re in negotiations with potential funders,” says Dr Jim Reichert, SCBC’s president and CEO, adding that those partners are a mixture of private and public groups. “We may partner with federal organizations.”

In the meantime, the agency’s other activities will continue as before, including promoting public awareness of S&T, hosting seminars, analyzing S&T indicators, holding award events and delivering scholarship programs in collaboration with IBM Canada and others. Reichert acknowledges, however, that SCBC’s relationship with small business will change.

“We will work with early stage companies but we will work with them in different ways … We’ve had a significant emphasis on the program delivery side and we can’t do that anymore,” he says. “The SCBC mission remains unchanged, which is the application of S&T to create economic growth and a better quality of life in the province.”

Last January, a multi-level review conducted by the incoming government was concluded. Among its objectives was to determine which government programs constituted subsidies to business, with all offending programs being eliminated (R$, January 23/02) That included SCBC’s flagship Technology BC program, which supported industrial R&D, the First Job in Science and Technology program and the Technology Assistance Program. The latter two were delivered by the Industrial Research Assistance Program. Also axed was the Forestry Renewal BC program (now called Forest Investment Account), which provided $15 million in forestry research funding delivered by SCBC.

“The decision on Tech BC was not a reflection on the effectiveness of the program,” says Reichert. “It didn’t survive because it was a subsidy to business.”

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