Editorial - 23-5

How long is too long between the decision to fund a particular R&D proposal and its public disclosure? For the 16 months it took for NSERC to announce its decision to fund seven new strategic networks, the answer is clearly far too long.

The lag time between decision-making and public announcement for many S&T programs has been rapidly increasing. The reasons are well-known throughout the community with the primary culprit being political grandstanding.

Governments are often far too eager to take credit for initiatives for which they had little input. Fair enough, we elect politicians to ensure the most effective use of taxpayer dollars. But for those same politicians to extend and manipulate public announcements for their own partisan benefit is excessive and unwarranted.

There are exceptions like the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The CFI has always been prompt in getting funding decisions into the public realm, well before contract negotiations are completed. It's important for the S&T community and the public at large to see where the money is going. For NSERC, it can begin by revealing the names of the six additional strategic networks that were selected five months ago and remain announced.

It's time for this government to step outside of the box of secrecy and paranoia that it has built for itself and employ a fresh perspective on exactly how the principles of openness, transparency and accountability apply to Canada's S&T enterprise. Timely disclosure should become a mandatory requirement for all publicly funded initiatives. It's the responsible thing to do.