AFMNet as an entity right now functions both as a facilitator, a trainer of highly qualified people, and as a granting agency. Now, the way I see AFMNet's most important role isn't necessarily as a granting agency, although that is something that is extremely important because of the cutback in NSERC funds, but being able to facilitate the putting together of researchers, bridging that death valley between the laboratory bench and being able to take a product and commercialize it....
The biggest loss for me, though, is in HQP training, training students, training technicians and post-doctorals to be entrepreneurs. We have a strong multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral training program. Eighty per cent of the research funding to AFMNet goes to support graduate students, undergraduates, post-doctorals, etc. We give them a training opportunity that is far and away more diverse, more varied than any other graduate student is going to get. This opportunity is going to be lost.
Two weeks ago we had a professional development school, which we have annually, and as usual we had rave reviews. We had entrepreneurs. We had people there basically asking how to prepare resumés. It's things like this that these students get that they won't get if they're chained to a laboratory bench, and it's going to be gone. So there must be some way in order to continue.