Investing in Innovation is our Future

Budget Moves in the Right Direction...

OTTAWA, March 5 /CNW Telbec/ - The Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations (ACAHO), is encouraged by Budget 2010 in its recognition of the role that research hospitals and their research institutes play in advancing the country's innovation agenda.

"Members of ACAHO are engines of health innovation and play a crucial role in the knowledge economy and in the promotion of better health and health care. Budget 2010 includes a series of strategic investments that are in the right direction and support health research, innovation and commercialization", said Dr. Jack Kitts, Chair of ACAHO, and President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital.

Being sensitive to current economic conditions, Budget 2010 contains a number of investments that underscore the importance of innovation driving future prosperity and the jobs of tomorrow, our quality of life, and support ACAHO members in translating new knowledge from the bench to bedside to business, and include:

    
    -  $16 million to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for
       health-related research and development, and $10 million over two
       years for a clinical trials network to move isotopes and imaging
       technologies into clinical practice, and $3 million to Health Canada
       to work with stakeholders to optimize the supply of isotopes in the
       health system
    -  $8 million per year to the Indirect Costs of Research Program
    -  $45 million over 5 years  for post-doctoral research fellowships
    -  $9 million over 2 years for the Rick Hansen Foundation for spinal cord
       research
    -  $40 million for a New Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Innovation
       Commercialization Program to support up to 20 demonstration projects.
    -  $35 million over 2 years to support R&D of new technologies for the
       production of isotopes
    -  $8 million over 2 years to extend the International Science and
       Technology Partnerships Program (ISTPP)
    

Budget 2010 also announced that the federal government will conduct a comprehensive review, in consultation with the provinces and business, of all federal support for research & development to improve its contribution to innovation and to economic opportunities for business - "ACAHO looks forward to contributing to this review", said Mr. Glenn Brimacombe, President and CEO of ACAHO.

Equally important, ACAHO is very pleased that the federal government has confirmed its continued investment in the health system through a 6% increase to the Canada Health Transfer, and the transformative potential that a $500 million investment in Canada Health Infoway brings.

ACAHO is the national voice of the Canada's Research Hospitals, Teaching Hospitals, Academic Regional Health Authorities and their Research Institutes. Its members are leaders of innovative and transformational organizations that serve a unique and essential role in the system: advance leading edge innovative practices through health research, they educate the next generation of health care professionals, and provide much of the specialized health care services to Canadians.

For further information: Media Contact: Beatrice Keleher Raffoul, Vice President, Public Affairs, Telephone: [phone] Extension 323, Cell Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]