Rédiger une demande de subvention comporte des risques | Affaires universitaires

Rédiger une demande de subvention comporte des risques | Affaires universitaires:

Few academic jobs, but Canada’s need for PhDs grows - The Globe and Mail

Few academic jobs, but Canada’s need for PhDs grows - The Globe and Mail:

École d'été 2013 - Techniques de survie scientifique - ÉTS

École d'été 2013 Techniques de survie scientifique - a set on Flickr:

What's the difference between invention and innovation?

What's the difference between invention and innovation? - Yahoo! Answers: "What's the difference between invention and innovation?

There is a distinct difference.

An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition or process. The government requires that inventions meet the following criteria to be patentable:

1. It must be a process, machine, articles of manufacture, or composition of matter. Computer programs, music, literary works and forms of energy are not patentable.
2. It must be novel or new. That is not known to the public before it was "invented" by the individual seeking patent protection.
3. The subject matter must be useful.
4. It must also be a nonobvious improvement over the prior art "to one of ordinary skill in the art.

An innovation can be any sort of improvement or creation.

Source(s):
Engineer and inventor"

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Whereas innovation may be defined as “change that adds value”, invention may be perhaps best defined as something “new, novel and without precedent”.
--

The Canadian War on Science: A long, unexaggerated, devastating chronological indictment – Confessions of a Science Librarian

The Canadian War on Science: A long, unexaggerated, devastating chronological indictment – Confessions of a Science Librarian:

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Le "décrochage scolaire", ennemi public numéro 1 au Québec

Le "décrochage scolaire", ennemi public numéro 1 au Québec:

Stephen Harper and the knowledge economy: perfect strangers - Capital Read, Inkless Wells - Macleans.ca

Stephen Harper and the knowledge economy: perfect strangers - Capital Read, Inkless Wells - Macleans.ca:

Stephen Harper and the knowledge economy: perfect strangers

by Paul Wells on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:00am - 99 Comments

VIEW IN CLEAN READING MODE »

WHAT IS THIS ?  

This story will get buried by all the other news today. That’s understandable, but I wish it weren’t so. It’s about a long-term government failure.

In 2007 Maxime Bernier created the Science, Technology and Innovation Council to measure Canada’s science and technology performance against that of comparable countries around the world. It’s produced reports every two years. The latest was released this morning while most of us were caught up in some other hilarity on the Hill.

The STIC council, as it’s called, is a big-name panel of advisors both inside government and outside. Its current membership includes the deputy ministers of Industry, Trade and Health; the presidents of Western, Alberta and McGill Universities; and a brochette of CEOs, principally from the energy sector.

Its third biennial report is devastating. Well, maybe I shouldn’t be throwing a word like that around in a week like this one, but it’s full of bad news anyway. Here’s some jargon, which I’ll translate:

State of the Nation 2012 shows that Canada’s gross domestic expenditures on R&D (GERD) declined from their peak in 2008 and, when measured in relation to gross domestic product (GDP), since 2001. In contrast, the GERD and GERD intensity of most other countries have been increasing. Canada’s declining GERD intensity has pushed its rank down from 16th position in 2006 to 17th in 2008 and to 23rd in 2011 (among 41 economies).

That means that by the broadest measure of expenditure on research and development, Canada has fallen from 16th out of 41 comparable countries in the year Stephen Harper became prime minister, to 23rd in 2011. 

GERD is a mix of HERD and BERD. Sorry: total research spending is a mix of R&D spending in the higher-education sector, and in the business sector. In 2007, the Harper government’s Science and Technology Strategy called “the need to encourage greater private-sector S&T investment” a “national priority.” And how does this government do on national priorities, given half a decade? “In international rankings related to business innovation, Canada continues to place in the middle of the pack on most measures and, on some indicators, Canada’s rank has declined,” the report says. “BERD intensity (i.e., BERD as a percentage of GDP) has been in almost continuous decline for the past decade. Canada’s rank among comparator countries on BERD-to- GDP fell to 25th in 2011 (of 41 economies).”

Investment in “information and communication technology” — computers, networking and phone tech — has lagged in Canada behind U.S. levels throughout the past decade, so that now the gap of total ICT stock between our country and our most important neighbour is much greater than when the Harper government came to power.

The good news is that on pure science, Canada continues to perform better than most other countries. “With a share of only 0.5 percent of global population, Canada accounted for 4.4 percent of the world’s natural sciences and engineering publications in 2010. This positions Canada eighth after countries with significantly larger populations: the U.S., China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Italy.”

The bad news is that Canada is letting its science advantage fritter away, as if that could somehow help its private-sector R&D gap close. In 2007 Canada continued to rank first among G7 countries  in HERD, or R&D expenditure in the higher-education sector. But as I have argued elsewhere, it’s increasingly useful to consider the G7 as an international losers’ club. It’s the U.S., Japan and Old Europe. When you throw Canada into the larger pool of 41 countries STIC looks at — countries with a bit of mojo, like Brazil, India, China, Poland, Israel and Sweden — Canada has fallen from third in 2006, to 4th in 2008 — to 9th in 2011. “With their significant investments in research and higher education,” this panel writes, “other countries are catching up and overtaking Canada.”

Between 2006 and 2010, the annual number of science PhD graduates in Canada grew by nearly half — a lagging reflection, I suspect, of the formidable growth in science capacity in Canada between 1997 and 2002. A generation of students came of age at a time when Canada was developing an international reputation as a relative science oasis. They had their university careers and came onto the job market. But it’s a shaky market now. This larger cohort of scientists is searching for stagnant or declining grant budgets. Success rates for research grant applications are falling. So Canada has more scientists than ever, and each is able to do less science than she would have been able to do a decade ago.

It’s a peculiar situation. The government has known, since its first year in office, that the private sector is not doing enough applied research. Its response has been to put the brakes on pure research in universities. The result has been that the weakness has continued to aggravate, while the strength has been put in danger. At Davos more than a year ago, Harper said his government would “continue to make the key investments in science and technology necessary to sustain a modern competitive economy.” It’s not clear what he meant by “continue.” It is true that recent changes at the National Research Council are designed to bolster, or accompany, or synergize with, or somehow prop up private-sector applied research. I can only wish the NRC luck. If it manages to push Canada up 7 spots in international rankings of research intensity, the country will be back where it was, compared to peer countries, on the day Stephen Harper became prime minister.

The cheaper thing the government could do is to shut down the STIC council. It’ll stop producing meddlesome reports like this.

NSERC Awards Search Engine

NSERC Awards Search Engine:

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CSTI - Le système des sciences, de la technologie et de l'innovation au Canada : Aspirer au leadership mondial

CSTI - Le système des sciences, de la technologie et de l'innovation au Canada : Aspirer au leadership mondial:

Le système des sciences, de la technologie et de l'innovation au Canada : Aspirer au leadership mondial

Rapport de 2012 sur l'état du système des sciences, de la technologie et l'innovation au Canada

Communiqué de presse

(Ottawa, le 21 mai 2013) Selon un important rapport publié aujourd'hui par le Conseil des sciences, de la technologie et de l'innovation (CSTI), le Canada se place toujours en milieu de peloton en matière de sciences, de technologie et d'innovation (STI); il devrait avoir plus d'ambition et aspirer au leadership mondial dans les principaux indicateurs des STI.

Le rapport L'état des lieux en 2012, Le système des sciences, de la technologie et de l'innovation au Canada : Aspirer au leadership mondial (le troisième rapport public du CSTI) retrace le chemin parcouru par le Canada depuis 2008 et compare sa performance à celle des chefs de file mondiaux des STI.

Le Canada peut se réjouir de la grande qualité de ses talents et de sa forte capacité à produire de nouvelles connaissances. Toutefois, le Canada continue d'avoir du retard en matière d'investissement du secteur privé dans l'innovation, de transfert des connaissances vers le marché et d'utilisation maximale de ses talents en STI dans la population active.

Selon M. Howard Alper, président du CSTI, « le Canada doit viser plus haut pour créer de l'emploi et stimuler la croissance dans un monde compétitif; il ne doit pas se satisfaire du statu quo ni de progrès graduels. C'est pourquoi les membres du CSTI ont cerné cinq secteurs précis où des mesures concertées doivent être prises pour que le Canada devienne un chef de file mondial ».

Selon Simon Pimstone, membre du CSTI et président-directeur général de l'entreprise vancouvéroise Xenon Pharmaceuticals, « les cinq pays en tête de classement dans ces secteurs ont été circonscrits, et le seuil à atteindre pour en faire partie a été défini. LeCSTI est d'avis qu'un meilleur rendement dans ces cinq secteurs aidera le Canada à assurer son avenir comme chef de file mondial des STI, ce qui donnera lieu à de plus grands avantages économiques et sociaux ».

Les cinq principaux indicateurs définis par le CSTI comme secteurs stratégiques à améliorer sont les suivants :

• le rendement des entreprises en recherche-développement (DIRDE) en pourcentage du produit intérieur brut (PIB);
• l'investissement des entreprises dans les technologies de l'information et des communications;
• les dépenses intérieures brutes de recherche-développement réalisée par les établissements d'enseignement supérieur (DIRDES) en pourcentage du PIB;
• le nombre de doctorats décernés en sciences et en ingénierie par 100 000 habitants;
• la part des ressources humaines en sciences et en technologie.

Selon Heather Munroe-Blum, membre du CSTI et principale et vice-chancelière de l'Université McGill, « le Canada continue de s'améliorer en matière de doctorats décernés en sciences et en ingénierie par 100 000 habitants. Cependant, le Canada s'est seulement classé 15^e parmi les pays de l'OECD pour cet indicateur en 2010, alors il doit continuer d'améliorer son rendement pour être compétitif avec les cinq pays en tête de classement et se classer parmi eux ».

« L'investissement des entreprises canadiennes dans la recherche-développement a constamment diminué pendant la dernière décennie », ajoute Selon Sophie Forest, membre du CSTI et associée directrice de Brightspark Ventures. « En 2011, le Canada s'est classé 25^e sur 41 économies. L'augmentation de l'investissement des entreprises en recherche-développement est cruciale pour l'avenir du Canada en tant que pays d'innovateurs.

Le Conseil, présidé par M. Howard Alper, est composé de 18 personnes de grand renom des secteurs des affaires, de la recherche, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la fonction publique. Il fournit au gouvernement du Canada des avis externes et confidentiels sur des questions de politiques publiques en lien avec les sciences, la technologie et l'innovation, et il publie un rapport biennal et public – L'état des lieux – qui évalue le rendement du Canada en matière de STI par rapport à des normes d'excellence internationales.

L'état des lieux en 2012, Le système des sciences, de la technologie et de l'innovation au Canada : Aspirer au leadership mondial, ainsi que des biographies des membres du CSTI se trouvent à http://www.stic-csti.ca

Pour plus d'information :

David Rodier, Hill & Knowlton
david.rodier@hillandknowlton.ca
613-371-9834

Scientists vs. Harper - Science, Science-ish - Macleans.ca

Scientists vs. Harper - Science, Science-ish - Macleans.ca:

 In fact, as the chart below shows, more money is being spent than ever before on research, and research budgets are bigger than they were pre-Harper. (Although, there are now more scientists working in Canada—a 23 per cent increase between 2002 and 2007—so competition for dollars is now more intense.)

“The money is still there but priorities have changed,” said Alberta-based Tim Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health, Law and Policy, who has written extensively about commercialization in genetics and stem cell research. The government seems to be moving away from an emphasis on basic research and toward applied research and commercialization. Of course, “scientific inquiry has never been ‘pure’ ” and governments have always tried to nudge researchers in various directions, he added. But he has also found that “commercialization and links with industry have never been more intense.”

Science in Canada: Failure doesn’t come cheap - Capital Read, Inkless Wells - Macleans.ca

Science in Canada: Failure doesn’t come cheap - Capital Read, Inkless Wells - Macleans.ca:

Now, here’s the thing. When critics attack the Harper government on its approach to science, the government has an easy comeback which has the distinct advantage of being true: It is spending more on science than any Canadian government ever has. The chart in this good roundup of the science-in-Canada debate by Julia Belluz makes the point nicely. The Conservatives came to office with no strong idea about what to do in the field, and eventually decided to hold and slowly increase the overall budgets they inherited from the Liberals.

A Nation of Wimps | Psychology Today

A Nation of Wimps | Psychology Today:

Parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the bumps out of life for their children. However, parental hyperconcern has the net effect of making kids more fragile; that may be why they're breaking down in record numbers.
...
Behold the wholly sanitized childhood, without skinned knees or the occasional C in history. "Kids need to feel badly sometimes," says child psychologist David Elkind, professor at Tufts University. "We learn through experience and we learn through bad experiences. Through failure we learn how to cope."
...

New research council mandate shows Conservative’s hostility to markets | Full Comment | National Post

New research council mandate shows Conservative’s hostility to markets | Full Comment | National Post:

The tendency among the Harper government’s critics will be to see the new mandate it has given the National Research Council, directing it to shift away from basic science toward producing research for industry, as part of a wider pattern of hostility to science, intellect and evidence — of a piece, say, with the destruction of the long-form census.

Among the government’s friends, on the other hand, the NRC’s new business-friendly mandate will no doubt be seen as an example of its unrelenting focus on the economy, adding a much-needed dose of realism to the council’s research and supporting the innovation efforts of Canadian industry. Both views, I think, have it wrong.

The redirection of public funds from basic to applied research may be bad science, but it is even worse economics. Whatever the distortion of the NRC’s raison d’etre is implied, it is nothing compared to the distortion of the economy. Far from a pragmatic matching of public research dollars to the real-word needs of industry, it reveals a basic confusion about the appropriate public and private roles in funding research.

Feed the Students, Starve the Schools?

Feed the Students, Starve the Schools?

Yesterday, I outlined the 2013-14 budget picture for university and college operating transfer funds.  Today, I’m doing something similar for student assistance. It’s a very different picture.

In addition to the caveats I mentioned yesterday regarding the challenges of budget-to-budget comparisons, student aid analysis poses its own unique set of challenges.  The main one is that provinces have trouble accurately predicting demand; so if in one year demand soars (or falls), the next year tends to bring a big budget increase (or decrease) to bring numbers into line with reality. Also, at least theoretically, student aid is counter-cyclical.  As student incomes rise, need goes down, and so too do aid expenditures.  So a declining budget doesn’t necessarily mean a government is cutting – it may also mean that students are better off (or that a government budgeted high the previous year, and is bringing estimates down to match reality).  In short, some care is required in interpretation.

Alex Usher | HESA:

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Canadian Government Funding Programs - Small Business Grants | Mentor Works

Canadian Government Funding Programs - Small Business Grants | Mentor Works: "Home » What We Offer » Canadian Government Funding Programs

Did you know that 17 percent of Canadian entrepreneurs indicate “obtain financing” as an obstacle to growth? The challenge facing most businesses is how to find and take advantage of what is out there. Most business owners receive financing through banking institutions. However, funding resources are available to small businesses from both the provincial and federal levels of government. Canadian small business grants and other funding vehicles are increasing their penetration in Southern Ontario, since the formation of the Economic Action Plan – all to the advantage of businesses."

GlassyEyes | Find Your Next Affordable Eyeglasses Online

GlassyEyes | Find Your Next Affordable Eyeglasses Online:

The eyewear industry is an incredible ripoff, but there are alternatives » Clarksville, TN Online

The eyewear industry is an incredible ripoff, but there are alternatives » Clarksville, TN Online:

Save Money on Shaving With These Razor Tricks | Wise Bread

Save Money on Shaving With These Razor Tricks | Wise Bread:

Unless we choose to go hairy, most of us — men especially — can't escape shaving as a necessary evil. And the razor industry knows all about it, so they always give us something new to "need" with constant one-upmanship. I mean, really, who truly needs a razor with five blades, various strips of rubber and moisturizers, and batteries that make it vibrate, no less? (See also: 5 Beauty Products I've Learned to Live Without)

Do you also find it curious that nowhere on your package of razors or razor blades does it state how long a razor blade should last? Although the shaving company might argue that a razor's longevity is predicated on how it is used, I might argue that they do it because people don't tend to keep razor blades as long as they could.

Here are some ways you can save money on shaving with these razor tricks.

Fundamental Research | HESA

Fundamental Research | HESA:

"But this neat division was a rhetorical device rather than a meaningful scientific taxonomy.  As Donald Parsons pointed out in his book, Pasteur’s Quadrant, outside of theoretical physics, there really aren’t many fields of science where scientists knock about “without thought of practical ends”.   Fundamental research often solves very practical problems that industry faces (which is true for a great deal of research in Engineering, Computer Science, and Chemistry), or which quite clearly has commercial applications (true for much medical research, for instance).  Discovery, as David Robinson says, does come from “what scientists think is important”, but that begs the question: “how do they decide what’s important”?  The answer, often, is discovered by interacting with industry and finding out what companies think is important.  If that weren’t true, frankly, the contribution of university science to economic growth would be a hell of a lot smaller than it is."

Government shakes up research council to focus on serving industry - The Globe and Mail

Government shakes up research council to focus on serving industry - The Globe and Mail:

African Bus Routes Redrawn Using Cell-Phone Data

African Bus Routes Redrawn Using Cell-Phone Data | MIT Technology Review - http://www.technologyreview.com/news/514211/african-bus-routes-redrawn-using-cell-phone-data/?ref=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

Why Startups Should Choose Canada Over Silicon Valley - Techvibes.com

Why Startups Should Choose Canada Over Silicon Valley - Techvibes.com: "Recently, there’s been a lot made about the advantages for starting technology companies in Canada, as well as the optimism for the Canadian Startup Visa.

But to me, it’s always felt slightly disingenuine and self-promotional. Canadians trying desperately to convince themselves that they’ve arrived on the tech startup map. In a global market, would anyone with experience, connections, and residence in Silicon Valley, actually choose to start a company in Canada?

Yes. I did."

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Canada No Longer a Top Country for Innovation, Research Reveals - Techvibes.com

Canada No Longer a Top Country for Innovation, Research Reveals - Techvibes.com: "According to Nielsen’s recent Global Survey of New Products Sentiment, consumers in emerging markets such are more eager to try new products than their counterparts in North America, who exhibit "trepidation.""

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Dr. Michio Kaku Says America Has A Secret Super Weapon in H-1B - YouTube

Dr. Michio Kaku Says America Has A Secret Super Weapon - YouTube:

Also :
America Has a Secret Weapon Which is Her Achilles Heel at the Same Time : http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/print.php?id=17230

H-1B Cap Reached Today; Didn't Get In? Too Bad - Slashdot : http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/04/05/2222242/h-1b-cap-reached-today-didnt-get-in-too-bad

Leadership Training: Team & Corporate Training Courses | Dale Carnegie

Leadership Training: Team & Corporate Training Courses | Dale Carnegie:

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