Industry committee  Thank you. I appreciate that question. Our awards are made on the basis of a rigorous assessment of merit, as I said. I won't go into the detail, but it involves expert scientists in the field first evaluating the science, then a higher-level committee—made up of a broader representation of academic, government, and private sector—assessing the potential overall benefits for the country, and then a third level.

Industry committee  I'd be happy to start. The balance of where the funding comes from depends to a considerable extent on exactly where in the spectrum, from fundamental research to commercialization, we're talking. Clearly the private sector, understandably, is reluctant and generally does not invest in very basic fundamental research.

Industry committee  You have identified a problem that exists with these large science facilities and projects in Canada. Over the years they have often been developed regionally, in a decentralized way, and funded and owned in a variety of different mechanisms. Some of them do not have ongoing major challenges with operating and maintenance; those you don't hear about, but you certainly do hear about the ones that do.

Industry committee  We are looking at the governance structure. As I've said, they've developed in a totally ad hoc way, often originating in universities or in other regional enterprises. Overall they've served Canada well. As you said, many in the country are leaders in the world, so I don't want to give the impression that we haven't done well.

Industry committee  We think it would be useful.

Industry committee  We don't specifically identify the venture capitalists, but we do--

Industry committee  It's really the institutions. Our applicants, as you know, are the institutions--the universities and the colleges. Because we fund only 40% and a great deal of the balance comes from industry, the institutions are generally in close touch with their industries, particularly regional industries that may have an interest.

Industry committee  Yes. That is, our applications come from institutions based on their research priorities, but they also reflect the government's priority research areas, so it's a two-way process. In other words, we may indicate the areas that the S and T strategy outlines are priorities, but the projects within each of those areas come up from the institutions that are most heavily focused on that particular area.

Industry committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to address the standing committee. I'm joined by Manon Harvey, our vice-president of finance and corporate affairs. I want to talk to you today about the role of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, CFI, as a key player in Canada's science and technology enterprise through its investments in research infrastructure in Canada's universities, colleges, research hospitals, and research institutes.

Industry committee  I wouldn't agree with your characterization, but yes. As play things, they are the tools that are required to do the research.

Industry committee  Thank you, yes. I'm happy to. Initially when CFI was created, $800 million was to be transferred for five years, and subsequently the mandate has been extended, and further blocks of funds have been allocated. It's not an endowment in the true sense. It's to be spent down. That's why I said that with the current competition, when we award those funds, the money will largely have been committed.

Industry committee  Projected to 2010, the year to which our mandate currently goes, we estimate that we will have generated about another billion dollars in interest over the years, which is also used for our mandate. It will be close to a total of $4.5 billion. After the current competitions, what we will have left to be committed is about $500 million for one specific fund called the research hospital fund.

Industry committee  Thank you. I'll respond to that. You've asked a critically important question. The individual researchers are the canary in the mine. In other words, if there's a sense that Canada's commitment to R and D is diminishing, these highly qualified personnel will be the first indication, because they're extremely mobile and in great demand.

Industry committee  It was a study of, as I indicated, 100,000 U.S. patents filed by the private sector in the United States to determine where the necessary knowledge comes from that sustains those patents. Some 73% of it came from university-related research, the public sector, of which a lot of that research--I am saying a significant portion--was done in Canadian universities.

Industry committee  We will be happy to send you the details. It was published in 1997. It looked at 1993-94. It was in one of the scholarly journals, and we will be happy to forward the details. I don't have them--