Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Canada-Tucson science ventures get big boost

TEYA VITU

Tucson Citizen

Canada's top scientist believes Tucson is an ideal match for joint research, especially in the areas of optics, astronomy, water and biotechnology.

Arthur Carty, national science adviser to the prime minister, yesterday visited with several University of Arizona deans and President Peter Likins, and toured Tucson's marquee science sites in a daylong visit building upon Tucson's 6-year-old growing relationship with Canada.

"The number of opportunities you have presented where we could collaborate is totally overwhelming," Carty said.

UA officials will sit down with Canadian consular officials in Tucson and Phoenix to fine-tune the dozens of specialities where UA and Canadian universities have shared strengths. The goal is to find research projects that lead to job creation in Tucson and Canada.

"We want to identify two or three areas where we see the greatest potential for research where there is a product we can see with commercial value," said Rick Stephenson, Canada's consul in Tucson.

In 2004, the Tucson-Ottawa bond led to Canada establishing consulates in Tucson and Phoenix. That same year, Canadian businessmen in Phoenix and Tucson launched a Canada-Arizona Business Council to help Canadian and Arizona businesses interested in crossing the border.

So far there's been little job creation - though OZ Optics, an Ottawa company, is in the process of setting up a manufacturing plant at the UA Science & Technology Park. Two other Ottawa companies reportedly are collaborating with a private Tucson business and the university but details are not available, said Mike Darch, international marketing consultant at the Ottawa Center for Research and Innovation.

John Grabo, director of international programs at the tech park, said he is in early discussions with an information technology company in Alberta and a photonics company in Ottawa that are considering U.S. operations.

"Tucson is on their radar. They think of Tucson first," said Grabo, who launched the Tucson end of the two-city relationship: "It's the strongest municipal partnership model that any of us know of."

Darch has headed the Ottawa end of the Tucson-Ottawa relationship since the beginning. He said the two cities have a number of specific optics and security research collaborations in mind, and bringing the prime minister's science adviser into the relationship could add significant momentum.

"He affects policy big time," Darch said. "To have him down here is recognition that there is more to the world than Stanford and MIT. Let's get blunt about it. It's about money. To get the projects going, we need backing."

And Canada has been generous in funding research and development, investing $13 billion from 1997 to 2004, the highest per capita amount among the seven leading industrialized nations. Leslie Tolbert, UA's vice president for research and graduate studies, hones right in on Canada's funding willingness and research desires - and how many of them match UA's.

Carty visited the UA mirror laboratory, the Critical Path Institute, the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade, the Southern Arizona Tech Council, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, and an evening reception with 90 guests, mostly scientists.

Carleton University in Ottawa is sending a number of scientists to the UA College of Optical Sciences at the end of February for a symposium. Once a year, Carleton and UA send optical/photonics faculty to the other's university, said Jim Wyant, dean of optical sciences.

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