Laboratories Canada Initiative
Summary
The Laboratories Canada Initiative (LCI) is a multi-year phased initiative for building and restoring federal science and technology (S&T) capacity in the GC. Previously named the Federal Science and Technology Infrastructure Initiative, the core basis of Labs Canada was announced in the 2018 federal "science budget" which allocated an initial $2.8 billion to the initiative over a 5 year period.
Background
Much of the GC's federal scientific infrastructure was build decades ago and has received scarce attention since. This has resulted in a federal laboratory system which is in need of serious renewal, with experts alerting the government of an impending "rust out" where poor infrastructure and equipment functionally impedes federal S&T from effectively conducting its important work. There were several predecessor initiatives seeking to address this including most notably the 2018 Federal Science and Technology Infrastructure Initiative, as well as others before this which proved unable to gain traction. In late 2019, this was renamed the Laboratories Canada Initiative or simply "Labs Canada".
With over 200 labs in the federal system, a large proportion of which being in critical condition, Labs Canada is faced with a huge undertaking in its mission to renewal federal S&T infrastructure. This includes most immediately the matter of prioritizing the labs which will face revitalization and in which order. It also presents the issue of limited funding as the number of facilities needing attention vastly exceeds initial budgetary allocations. As a result, Labs Canada operates on the principle of funding S&T renewal according to the development of synergies that exist in infrastructure and capacity. There is much federal S&T infrastructure that is under-utilized, or at least utilized well below its potential capacity, because of organizational silos in federal science which impede effective collaboration. As such, labs which are able to demonstrate their ability to leverage collaborative networks with other federal labs and external partners alike to improve utilization rates and contributes to the overall innovation ecosystem, are given priority.
Preceding Projects
Much background work had been conducted prior to official the launch of FSTII/LCI in 2018 which informs the work and guiding principles Labs Canada today. Two noteworthy initiatives which influence Labs Canada today include the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Atlantic Science Entreprise Centre (ASEC) in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The NML was built well in advance of Labs Canada but embodies many of the desired principles at play for Labs Canada, operating an intermural and interdepartmental research facility that shares infrastructure where possible and widely bridges partnerships in the wider S&T community. By adopting this approach, NML was able to punch above its weight in its renewal. This includes for instance, being able to procurement of new facilities and equipment in excess of what might have otherwise been possible in a siloed approach, finding synergies that would allow it to deploy more advanced technology in its work.
The ASEC is currently (2020) under construction and merges the physical and scientific infrastructure of existing Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) regional labs. The governance and planning of this project was well underway in advance of the announcement of Labs Canada and embodied many of the guiding principles of the heart of Labs Canada. As such, Labs Canada became involved in a supporting role for ASEC's organizational governance, using the opportunity to support the new laboratory construction and to build its own capacity. In some circles, ASEC is viewed as a Phase 0 for Labs Canada, preceding the official launch of new laboratory builds while still being closely intertwined with Labs Canada's early work.
Phase 1
When taking in to account the most immediate infrastructure needs, the greatest opportunities for clustering capacities and the early guiding principle that existing labs should not be removed from the wider region in which they operate, Labs Canada opted to launch the first phase of its work centred around the National Capital Region. This has been underway since 2019 and involves the extensive task of talking stock of existing infrastructure, identifying and exploring potential clusterization opportunities and mapping out future S&T needs in accordance with departmental plans.
Phase 2 and Beyond
The substance of Phase 2, and which labs will be eligible for participation in this phase, has been the subject of much speculation. Ultimately with Phase 1 still well underway, official announcements have yet to be made about the nature and participants of Phase 2. Phase 2 is currently funded under the initial budgetary allocation set aside in 2018 but question remain about the amount of funding that will remain after the completion of Phase 1. Given the magnitude of the Labs Canada renewal, subsequent phases will also depend on future budgetary allocations, a result of the design of the Labs Canada from the early outset. The initial funding for Labs Canada was set aside for the first 5-years of the renewal program which will bring it to the end of 2023, after which point the initiative will receive more direction from the political level in the form of a federal budget.
Governance
Results to Date
Subsequent Phases
