The recent federal budget reinforced the importance the government is placing on putting its fiscal house in order with some programs receiving cuts in excess of 10 per cent.

Within that overall context of restraint is a welcome affirmation of the government’s strong commitment to research and innovation, with funding programs largely preserved and substantial new commitments made.  At the same time, the new investments focus predominantly on Canada’s innovation agenda, while the importance of supporting fundamental research is acknowledged in less tangible ways. It is explicitly stated on page 271 of the budget document that "programming in support of basic research, student scholarships and industry-related research initiatives and collaborations are preserved."

The budget has reaffirmed the importance of Tri-Council funding by returning mandated budget cuts in the form of $37 million in new investment, albeit with a focus on industry-academic partnerships. This leaves Tri-Council with stable overall budget envelopes in the present fiscal year and the hope that next year’s mandated budget cut of $31.3 million may be similarly rescued through the infusion of additional new monies.

The long-term investment in the Canada Foundation for Innovation ($500 million over five years, beginning in 2014) and the doubling of support for graduate students to gain workplace experience through the Industrial Research & Development Internship Program, are further positive signals of the importance the government places on high-quality university research, and in attracting and retaining top students and researchers.

Other notable investments in research and higher education include:

• $40 million over two years to support Canada’s Advanced Research & Innovation Network’s (CANARIE) operation of Canada’s ultra-high-speed research network;
• $60 million for Genome Canada to launch a new applied research competition in the area of human health, and to sustain the Science and Technology Centres until 2014-2015;
• $10 million over two years to the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research to link Canadians to global research networks;
• $5.2 million in 2012–2013 to establish and integrate a network of mental health-related researchers in the Canadian Depression Research & Intervention Network;
• $67 million to assist the National Research Council (NRC) refocus on business-led, industry-relevant research, as well as doubling the contribution budget of the NRC’s highly successful cross-Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) in aid of small and medium enterprises.

These investments can only be seen as encouraging and a reflection of continuing strong support for university sector research. They provide important building blocks to developing knowledge, creativity and innovation within universities, now and into the future.  This is a reality the government recognizes. We are fortunate to have experienced a significant upswing in university research investments over the last decade, with investments having nearly quadrupled since the mid-1990s and continuing to rise despite economic setbacks. Budget 2012 presents a stable agenda for research funding – delivering a longer term message on research and innovation that reinforces the government’s goal, “to position Canada for increased success in the global economy that depends more and more on knowledge and innovation as a key driver of long-term competitiveness.”

Canada’s societal well-being and future economic health depend greatly on our capacity to innovate and build a highly competitive advantage.  This is a vision that 91��ɫ shares and will continue to foster in benefiting our researchers. With the sustained support towards higher education and excellence in research and technology, we will continue to work with the government to ensure the continuation of these vital investments – and to reinforce the need to invest equally in the ongoing development of fundamental research.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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“The Case Competition was an excellent way to apply what we’re learning in our program,” said Latursia Kathiraveluppillai, of the winning team. “The added pressure of the time limit and the interactivity of the stakeholder groups made the experience much closer to solving real-world issues in the market.”

Members of Team ACE from 91��ɫ's Schulich School of Business: from left, Arnold Lai, Karen Tran, Latursia Kathiraveluppillai and Shelley Li

The other three victorious team members were Arnold Lai, Shelley Li and Karen Tran. In second place, Team Tryhard  from Conestoga College in Waterloo, won $2,500. In all,  100 students competed from 16 Ontario universities and colleges. This year's competition was held at McMaster University in Hamilton.

During the competition, students were invited to put their management leadership skills to the test. The teams used ExperiencePoint, a computer-based, decision-driven simulation, where they were challenged to strategically advise a fictional company's senior management on a change management plan given limited resources of time and money. ExperiencePoint offers a range of award-winning web-based simulations that are used in top business schools and executive programs around the world.

This year, the teams were challenged to take on the role of a senior adviser to the fictional Global Tech Inc., a manufacturer of global positioning systems (GPS). Students were challenged to diagnose the business issues and using change management principles, plan and implement a solution.

Each team player taking part was a and had completed, or is in the process of completing, a .

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Led by Professor Colin Coates (left), Canada Research Chair in Canadian Cultural Landscapes and professor of Canadian Studies at Glendon College, the project is expected to cast light on the impacts of an earlier period of economic “globalization” as a way of better understanding the challenges of current practices. It is one of eight projects across Canada that has been granted funding in the 2011 Digging into Data Challenge.

Fourteen teams representing Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States have been awarded grants to investigate how computational techniques can be applied to “big data” to change the nature of humanities and social sciences research. Each team represents collaborations among scholars, scientists and librarians from leading universities worldwide.

Coates, who is also the director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at 91��ɫ, is one of the principal investigators on the project titled Trading Consequences, which received $125,000 in funding. The project will examine the economic and environmental consequences of commodity trading during the 19th century and employs information extraction techniques to study large corpora of digitized documents from the 19th century. This innovative digital resource will allow historians to discover novel patterns and to explore new hypotheses through structured query and a variety of visualization tools.

"Our team of environmental historians is excited to be partners with the Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews in the Trading Consequences project. Canadian economic development has historically been defined by commodity flows, and it is important to understand the environmental impacts of this commerce in the past, just as it is today. The focus on Canadian data will test the techniques created through this collaborative project for mapping the scope and impact of international trade in the 19th century," said Coates.

“91��ɫ is proud to receive recognition in the 2011 Digging into Data Challenge,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “These important research projects advance knowledge as researchers work collaboratively and internationally to find new ways to analyze, search for and store data using digital and electronic technologies.”

“The Digging into Data Challenge is an international initiative that enables Canadian researchers to take advantage of the huge digital resources now available and to develop close partnerships with overseas universities,” said Chad Gaffield, president of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). “These exciting projects cross both disciplines and national borders; they lead to new insights into human thought and behaviour.”

The successful cohort of projects received a total of nearly $5 million in funding from eight international research funding agencies. SSHRC’s contribution of $869,117 will support Canadian researchers from eight of the fourteen teams.  

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The trip, which began Jan. 1, continues until Jan. 18. A team of senior academic and administrative staff will visit Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai, with stops at notable universities, fine arts training centres and cultural institutions.

“We already have a well-established program of international participation, but we’re always looking to expand our outreach and involvement,” said Barbara Sellers-Young (left), dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, who is leading the delegation.

Studio and theory courses with a South Asian focus are a standard part of the curriculum in 91��ɫ’s Departments of Dance, Film, Music and Visual Arts. Special projects in recent years include Theatre @ 91��ɫ’s premiere of a modern adaptation of Kalidasa’s Shakuntala written and directed by then graduate student Charles Roy, who took the play on to its first Canadian professional production and to the Cultural Olympics at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. The Faculty of Fine Arts has several times hosted DanceIntense Canada, in partnership with Sampradaya Dance Creations, headed by alumna Lata Pada (MA ’96), a recipient of the Order of Canada and India’s Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.

A number of distinguished artist-scholars of Indian heritage hold professorships in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts. They include internationally acclaimed master percussionist , who co-founded 91��ɫ’s groundbreaking South Indian music studies program 40 years ago; jazz musician, composer, recording and touring artist ; award-winning documentary filmmaker ; and adjunct professor, choreographer and dancer , who is credited with bringing classical Indian dance  into the cultural mainstream in Canada.

Underpinning these artistic and academic connections are both longstanding and recent linkages between 91��ɫ and educational institutions in India.

91��ɫ has agreements in place with the University of Madras and Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and the team from the Faculty of Fine Arts will be visiting both institutions to explore opportunities to build on these relationships. 91��ɫ’s Schulich School of Business maintains a Satellite Centre partnered with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmadabad, IIM Bangalore and the Indian School of Business. It also runs the Schulich MBA in India program in partnership with the Mumbai-based SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, and is opening its own campus in Hyderabad in 2013. The renowned A.J.K. Mass Communications Research Centre at New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University was originally set up in collaboration with 91��ɫ, and Faculty of Fine Arts film professors were among the first generation of teachers there.

This solid foundation of existing connections makes India a natural choice for a concerted exploratory visit by 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts.

“Our main objective is to promote research collaboration and expand student learning opportunities, with a focus on exchange opportunities for international scholars and students to mutually enhance the academic and research culture in each organization,” said Sellers-Young.

She is joined on the trip by Sheila Embleton, distinguished research professor of linguistics, a lead architect of 91��ɫ’s India Strategy who has served as 91��ɫ’s representative at the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute for the past decade; Design Professor Michael Longford, associate dean of Graduate Studies & Research in the Faculty of Fine Arts; Film Professor Ali Kazimi; and Ina Agastra, international relations and development officer in the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Click to view a trip itinerary and biographies of the 91��ɫ delegation.  

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