Comment 51260

By Tartan Triton (anonymous) | Posted November 08, 2010 at 09:39:41

Since innovation now takes place in the context of a global marketplace, it's critical that we have bold visionary thinking at a national level, eg: http://www.a-star.edu.sg

Money and innovation are not necessarily synonymous, however. When five universities (representing 5.4% of the Canadian university population, but attracting a third of research grants) made a pitch for the bulk of Canada's research funding, B. Mario Pinto, SFU's VP of Research pointed out (www.sfu.ca/vpresearch/vpr_docs/G5_response.pdf) that publication impact – that is, probability of work being cited – was similar across all Canadian universities.

What's more, Pinto illustrates, scholars are differently able to leverage grant investments – there's no definitive correlation. His chart of data from the 2008 edition of research universities of the year, McMaster had the seventh highest financial input but fifth highest research output indicators; Waterloo had the eleventh highest financial input but seventh highest research output indicators; UBC had the ninth highest financial input but third highest research output indicators. Queens, meanwhile, had the third highest financial input but tenth highest research output indicators; U of Montreal had the fourth highest financial input but sixth highest research output indicators.

Another dubious analogy: The great independent filmmaker making things happen on their own terms with their debut on a pauper's budget, later to receive an imposing sum and the corresponding expectation of delivering a blockbuster, for which the studio offers constructive input on the final cut.

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