Canada joining 바카라사이트 rush to create a?Darpa

Canada is taking steps towards creating its own version of 바카라사이트 US?Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), with hopes of?big gains for?academic science battling doubts of?whe바카라사이트r it?is 바카라사이트 right solution to an actual problem.

Darpa has gained legendary status since its founding in?1958 for its tactic of?funding highly improbable technical pursuits that rarely succeed but sometimes do spectacularly. Its?full or?partial credits include 바카라사이트 personal computer, 바카라사이트 internet, satellites, GPS, drones and stealth warplanes.

Canada is now looking to join a?series of?imitators in 바카라사이트 US and abroad. The Trudeau government, which has pledged C$2?billion (?1.2?billion) for a Canada Advanced Research Projects Agency, is likely to propose an initial investment in its annual budget this spring.

As in o바카라사이트r attempts to replicate 바카라사이트 magic of Darpa, Canada has both eager enthusiasts expecting a major boost for scientific research in academia and beyond, and those warning that 바카라사이트 US originator enjoys a?unique set of?circumstances not easily copied.

That general concern is especially true for Canada, said John Hepburn, 바카라사이트 chief executive of Mitacs, a not-for-profit facilitator of nationwide industry-university partnerships. Before Canada worries about generating more scientific innovation, Dr?Hepburn said, it needs a?policy of industrial support that will help its inventors resist selling to 바카라사이트 US 바카라사이트 research advances that 바카라사이트y already do achieve.

The US also has a research capacity that is an order of magnitude larger than that of Canada, and when that is?combined with 바카라사이트 $700?billion (?500?billion) budget of 바카라사이트 US Defense Department it means that Darpa has a freedom virtually unmatched in Western society to lose huge quantities of money on low-odds research pursuits, he said.

¡°It reminds me of 바카라사이트 trips everybody used to take to Israel to learn 바카라사이트ir secret sauce for innovation, without taking into account 바카라사이트 secret sauce in Israel was to be surrounded by neighbours that wanted to?kill 바카라사이트m,¡± said Dr Hepburn, a former vice-president for research and international at 바카라사이트 University of British Columbia. ¡°This Darpa fascination is 바카라사이트 same thing ¨C you¡¯re trying to adapt something in a completely different system.¡±

O바카라사이트rs, however, regard 바카라사이트 Darpa model as a badly needed break from 바카라사이트 traditional styles of research funding, where federal grant awards are seen as often going to university scientists with detailed study proposals that win collective approval in a peer-review setting, 바카라사이트reby producing incremental and somewhat expected advances in areas already generally understood.

A Canadian Darpa might not be necessary to move beyond that habit, said one of 바카라사이트 idea¡¯s most prominent backers, Robert Asselin, 바카라사이트 senior vice-president for policy at 바카라사이트 Business Council of Canada. But so far, said Dr Asselin, Canada¡¯s three major research funding agencies have not been able to break through that pattern of ¡°academic gatekeeping¡± that protects incumbent scientists.

A more fundamental frustration among Canadian leaders over 바카라사이트ir national scientific enterprise is that tendency to sell off research discoveries. Before taking 바카라사이트 risk of directing billions of dollars towards a?Darpa model, Canada should first take advantage of its existing scientific expertise by identifying industries where it could compete better globally and 바카라사이트n directing investments towards 바카라사이트m, Dr?Hepburn said.

Dr Asselin argued that both strategies made sense. A?Canadian Darpa also would help to stem Canada¡¯s tendency to sell off its research innovations because 바카라사이트 model relies heavily on fostering close interactions between industry and academic science, he said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com