Thank you very much for your testimony.
One thing struck me in all of your presentations. There is in fact a lack of coordination in the long chain from research, through development, to the final product, and all the way to both medical and economic benefits for Canadians.
I keep thinking to myself that Canada is in a very tight economic situation with budget cuts. The easy solution, but not necessarily the appropriate one, would be for the Government of Canada to invest more and give more money to our researchers and our institutions.
My question has two parts. First of all, are there low-cost or zero-cost initiatives that we could implement in Canada, instead of investing new amounts in various areas of research and development? As I mentioned, given the deficit, the goal is not to make the government spend more, but to find more efficient ways to support research in Canada.
Furthermore, if you insist on talking about financial support, could you perhaps tell us about the spinoffs or benefits? In fact, I still think that, when you invest in research and development, the benefits will come later. If you have the information, could you provide us with figures or data on the potential spinoffs derived from the investments made by the Government of Canada in research and development?
My question is for anyone knowledgeable on the matter.