Colleges and polytechnics will have to wait before receiving Budget largesse

College R&D, infrastructure and skills training received prominent play in the April 21st federal Budget, but no new funding for the current FY, in line with the government's deferral of most new science, technology and innovation (STI) commitments to next year and beyond (R$, April 30/15). In terms of belated recognition of Canada's colleges and polytechnics, the Budget went further than past annual spending documents.

"As for words on the page it was a good document. We were correctly captured (and) our name was recognized," says Polytechnics Canada CEO Nobina Robinson. "The reality is, there's not much spend give the pressure to balance the Budget … The question always is, is this real money for this fiscal year or back loaded and promised for after the election."

The largest federal program for college and polytechnic R&D — the College and Community Innovation Program (CCIP) — will be increased by $5 million to $55 million in FY16-17. Administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, CCIP has been instrumental in assisting colleges in building industry-focused research capacity.

NSERC was also instructed to redesign its suite of business-focused research programs to include colleges — a move that could direct even more previously unavailable research funding their way.

Starting next year, $65 million in new funds will be available over four years for business and industry associations to work with the post-secondary sector to better align courses with employer needs.

The Budget directs the Canada Foundation for Innovation to continue funding its College-Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) from the $1.33 billion it received for future infrastructure investments starting in FY17-18.

In the area of non-R&D assistance impacting colleges, the Budget provided $4 million for a national labour market information portal, $7 million in reallocated funds to support job mobility and several initiatives addressing Aboriginal labour, program certification and the recognition of foreign credentials.

"Our members were happy to see the CCIP and CFI program mentioned," says Ken Doyle, Polytechnics' director of policy who canvassed member institutions to assess reaction to the Budget. "It reinforces colleges' place in the innovation system."

Doyle also commends the CFI on consultation with its members to ensure that the CIIF needs their needs.

"It will now continue until 2012. We're happy to see stable, long-term funding for infrastructure," he says.

Despite the prominence the Budget afforded colleges, many recommendations made by Polytechnics Canada in its pre-Budget submission were not addressed. Even the level of funding allocated to CCIP was far less than requested ($5 million versus $12 million).

The Budget was silent on Polytechnics' request to give colleges access to federal intramural R&D spending by creating a small business innovation research program and a $20-million boost to the Research Support Fund (indirect costs) to augment awards made under CCIP.

"The RSF is technically open to colleges but the CCIP as a program is exempt from RSF funding. Why? There's no public policy rationale for it — no justification for exclusion," says Robinson. "We are new players in the innovation system and the ground isn't level yet."

Polytechnics also advocates for a Canadian version of the US Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, but Doyle acknowledges such a program will take time to establish even if given the green light.

"It's our medium-to-long-term policy goal. It's a big thing to take on and a complicated concept to get across. IRAP (Industrial Research Assistance Program) and government procurement are not the same thing."

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