I think we should create a pool of funds to fund basic science with industry partnerships and have the money there to attract the billions that pharma wants to spend in academia. They are looking around the world. They want to spend in Harvard, but it's complicated there. In Canada, if we say, “Here are our rules and this is how we do it”, I'm confident we can increase our research in the public, by government, first, with the cash, and then say “industry come”. I think they are ready to do it in Genome Canada.
On March 5th, 2013. See this statement in context.