Time for an independent science council
In a letter published in Re$earch Money, Yves Gingras argues for the creation of an independent Science Council of Canada. After a review of the evolution of decision-making structures in the past 40 years, he applauds the recommendation of the recent report of the expert group mandated by Ottawa to discuss federal support for industrial research and development, which calls the government to transform the of Science, Technology and Innovation Council to become an independent advisory committee, whose reports will be public. Such an independent organization can advise governments not to jump on any bandwagon, without first considering the long-term consequences. But this means that future board members will be capable of independent thought and will not only repeat the most recent OECD reports on the so-called "best practices" that are quickly becoming obsolete.
Link:
http://www.cirst.uqam.ca/
