While I am still daydreaming, how ’bout this? Once the economy is in better shape, have a program set up where individuals/companies can sponsor a specific science lab. Someone could put together a list of labs and what they do, and if anything sparks the interest of a sponsor, he or she could fund it. I don’t think people are aware just how little money many labs in Canada receive, and therefore just how much of a difference some outside assistance could make. The average starting grant from NSERC in many panels is $25K-$30K per year. So, the number of students that a lab can support and the amount of work they can do could pretty much be doubled for the change in your average corporate couch. Basic science does not have to be totally dependent on grants — maybe it’s time to become more creative.