Thank you.
We'd like to thank the committee for this opportunity to appear today. The Coalition for Canadian Astronomy was formed in 2000 and is unprecedented in the Canadian science community because three partners voluntarily joined together to form the coalition: professional astronomers, academia, and industry.
The coalition is a unique Canadian response to the challenges posed by the globalization of astronomy. The massive engineering scale and technological sophistication of the next-generation telescopes requires the intellectual and financial resources of the international astronomy community to plan, design, and construct them. Canadian astronomers, leaders in the global astronomical community, knew they had to change to be part of this new era or be left behind. After lengthy debate and discussion within the astronomical community, a set of priorities was identified that would form the basis of a long-range plan for astronomy and astrophysics.
In short, the LRP was the community's strategy to adapt to and thrive in an era of globalized astronomy. We're aware of no other sector where a scientific community, academia, and industry work so well together to ensure the success of the plan. Our plan is working. The priorities identified in the LRP are providing Canadian astronomers with the opportunity to work on world-leading projects so they may continue to rank as the world's best in astronomical research.
Astronomy is also unique in that it has a rich history of creating commercial benefits from its scientific research. We not only benefit from the scientific achievements and discoveries resulting from astronomical research, but the research generates economic revenues through the knowledge gained in developing the tools and equipment needed for astronomy projects.
The company I run, for example, has completed over $300 million worth of engineering and construction work building telescopes around the world. As a direct spinoff, we've also completed $300 million worth of work in the amusement ride industry. We're currently in the design phase to put over $300 million towards building the world's largest telescope, and we're currently designing and will ultimately build over $300 million in amusement rides that will be exported around the world. And our company is only one example.
Previous federal government investments in astronomy have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in business for a wide range of Canadian companies. Past economic analysis and experience has shown that Canada receives at least a two-to-one direct benefit for every federal dollar invested in astronomy. The indirect return is as high as ten to one, since the knowledge gained working on astronomy projects leads to new business opportunities in sectors far removed from astronomy.
There are three primary areas in which astronomical research has contributed to the Canadian economy: through direct contract awards to Canadian companies, through the development of spinoff technologies, and through skills development. The first economic impact consideration comes directly from the astronomy projects themselves, which today can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
While the direct return on investment in astronomy is impressive, the return generated from the development of spinoff technologies is phenomenal. The contracts and work experience that have come from astronomy projects have generated new knowledge and technological developments that produce a variety of spinoffs and market advantage for Canadian industry that weren't understood at the time the first investment was made. The knowledge gained leads to new business opportunities in sectors far removed from astronomy. Examples of spinoff technology include digital cameras, technology for MRIs, and theme park rides.
Perhaps the most significant knowledge advantage comes from the number of highly skilled young people trained in LRP projects. Here the impact of the LRP has been very significant, as the number of advanced master's and doctoral students have doubled in astronomy and astrophysics over the last decade.
The coalition has been working closely with the National Research Council to secure the necessary capital funding for the remaining ground-based elements of the LRP. The NRC has the mandate to operate and administer Canadian astronomical observatories, but does not have enough A-base budget to support the LRP. In fact, there's no single agency that can fund our projects. This has forced us to deal with a myriad of agencies with different mandates and reporting requirements. This is not conducive to long-range planning, especially with international partners.
Overall investment in the LRP to date has totalled $85 million. This government investment has enabled Canada to go forward on the LRP, with the Canadian companies involved in these projects developing world-leading technologies. This continued financial support is necessary to ensure the continued success of astronomy in Canada.
If the private sector benefits so much from these projects, why are they not making these initial investments? In other words, why does government always have to foot the bill? The short answer is simple. There is no business that would support investing in an astronomy project given private sector timelines and risk tolerance. In addition, there's no commercial value per se in designing and building the next-generation largest telescope at the outset. We recognize that there are limited government dollars to go around; therefore, we believe the government needs to invest strategically in scientific research and disciplines that clearly lay out plans for excellence and have a proven track record of impressive financial returns.
The Coalition for Canadian Astronomy feels strongly that strategic investments in scientific research will help improve Canada's global competitiveness. When carried out in a coordinated way, federal government investment in scientific research will improve Canada's competitiveness and economic growth.
We strongly encourage the committee to address scientific funding in its final report, and to do so in a way that recognizes the realities of big science. Investments in science are delivering tremendous benefits to the Canadian economy and to our competitiveness globally. Those benefits will continue with a coordinated Canadian approach to scientific funding. As such an approach is developed, sciences like astronomy that have a clear plan that involves all relevant stakeholders, a demonstrated record of delivering scientific excellence, and proven economic returns should be supported with continued funding.
Thank you.