Industry funding of Canadian university research jumped 20 per cent last year, the latest report on the commercialization of scholarly invention says. Private companies committed $795 million toward innovative university research, out of a total research budget of $6.1 billion for the financial year 2010. Most of the increases were seen in Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton, says the survey report released this week by the Association of University Technology Managers. “Seeing a 20 per cent increase is quite positive,” said Barbara Eccles, head of the Canadian branch of the U.S.-based association and manager of technology transfer at Lakehead University. “Governments have been asking universities and industries to partner together for some time, and we have been,” she said.
