At a time when stimulus spending has dotted Canadian campuses with construction cranes, the federal government's new focus on restraint is raising fresh questions about how colleges and universities will put their new labs and classrooms to work.
Ottawa earmarked $2-billion for campus bricks-and-mortar projects in last year's budget. That money, together with matching funds from the provinces and other sources, has kick-started 536 projects, ranging from new multimillion-dollar facilities to upgrades of existing buildings.
Now, as Ottawa turns its attention to slaying a record deficit, campuses face the prospect that their shining new buildings will not be matched with new research dollars. While some hope for signs that government will pursue an innovation agenda, others say privately that just skirting the chopping block would be a victory of sorts.
"I think the whole community at this point is going to be quite anxious," said Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
How the government positions its priorities in the budget will be key, he predicted. "Looking for signals is just as important as looking for dollar commitments," he said.
Others say that, without serious new money, Canada will lose ground, especially when the U.S. government is making research funding a priority.
"They are putting this money into infrastructure, but there is no money to operate these facilities," said Jim Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, a vocal critic of the Harper government's research strategy.
A federal official who briefed Ottawa media this week about the budget said that transfers to the provinces for health and education will be exempt from efforts to rein in spending growth. That suggests that everything else, including research funding, will be affected by the government's plans to erase the deficit.
Universities and colleges rely on provincial grants and tuition fees for most of their operating income, but Ottawa plays an important role through transfer payments and support for research and capital projects.
In the run-up to this year's budget, academic groups have pressed for new money for the three granting councils that fund the bulk of research on Canadian campuses, arguing it is essential to prepare for a new post-recession economy. Community colleges have also pressed for an increasing share of council funding for applied research.
Federal officials have signalled that next week's budget will contain a small number of new measures. Support for post-doctorate fellowships, or increased marketing to attract foreign students - a favoured cause of Stockwell Day in his former post as minister of trade - are being suggested by some campus leaders as the kind of initiatives that could launch with limited funds.
"Governments need to invest in people. I think the federal government should send us a signal in this budget that it's not backing away from the talent agenda," said Indira Samarasekera, president of the University of Alberta, which is already looking at measures such as higher student fees, unpaid leaves and limiting enrolment growth to solve its budget problems.
Industry Minister Tony Clement does talk frequently of the need to invest in a knowledge economy. "In the future, our world will be driven by ideas, and successful countries will be those that nurture and create knowledge," he said in a recent address.
But many academics are still smarting from last year's budget, which cut about $148-million from the three granting councils over three years as part of a strategic review, and linked other funding to government priorities.