Recently in Ag R&D Funding Category
Universities and research
institutes often carry out research projects funded by government grants. In
fact, the Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) Project responsible for the
Illative Blog receives half of its funding from the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. A number of rules, regulations, policies and procedures have
been put in place to ensure government funds are used appropriately. But are
these very regulations and procedures, put in place to prevent the improper use
of research dollars, actually limiting researchers' time to conduct research?
Findings in a study
by the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) in the United States show that
the administrative tasks associated with grants can burden researchers to the
point where 42 percent of time committed to federal research is spent complying
with rules and procedures rather than conducting actual research.
Continue reading ROI losses due to administrative tasks.
Public research was key to
developing agriculture in Canada. The discovery of summerfallow, Marquis wheat,
canola and zero tillage all occurred within the research programs at Agriculture
Canada research stations. However, there is a growing concern that public
agricultural research expenditures in Canada have declined over the past decade
despite numerous studies showing high rates of return to research. At the same time that this decline has occurred, a slowdown
in yield growth has also taken place.
Continue reading Ag Research at a Cross Roads.
