"Big science" genetics research in Canada may be left high and dry after the main agency that funds such work was left out of this year's federal budget.

Genome Canada, a nonprofit established in 2000 to support large-scale genomics and proteomics research, was expecting a level of financing this year in the ballpark of C$120 million ($98m), which would be on par with its last two budgets. Instead, Genome Canada was completely absent from the 2009 budget, which was rolled out on Tuesday.

The agency currently funds 33 major research projects -- including efforts to find the genetic underpinnings of autism and other diseases -- and supports more than 2,000 people. The lack of funding shouldn't affect ongoing projects, which were funded through previous budgets, but it will limit the scope of future large-scale genetics studies.

"We got nothing, nothing, and we don't know why," said Martin Godbout, Genome Canada's president and CEO, according to the Globe and Mail. "We're devastated."

"If they're completely left out [of the budget], I think that would be a big mistake," David Castle, a Canada Research Chair in science and society at the University of Ottawa and a principal investigator on the Genome Canada funded "Canadian Program on Genomics and Global Health," told The Scientist.

This isn't the first time that Genome Canada has received bubkus in a federal budget. In 2006, the agency was also shut out of funding, but at the time it was understood that 2005's allocation of C$165 million ($135m) was meant to last for two years.

The same was true again of the last two budgets, which should continue to fund research through this year, said Tony Clemente, Canada's minister of industry. "It would not be surprising that they would not get an extra amount in this budget because that was taken care of in the last two budgets," Clement told CBC News.

But Godbout disputes this claim. He said there was no previous indication from the government that Genome Canada would receive nothing this year.

Castle said he remains optimistic that some federal funds will still be drummed up for Genome Canada. He noted that Tuesday's budget announcement promised a lot of infrastructure spending -- including C$2 billion ($1.6b) for universities to fix their aging buildings -- but was vague about financing the main government funding bodies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

The budget reduced the granting councils' collective base funds by close to C$150 million ($120m) to save money for other programs linked to higher education, but it did not state exactly how those cuts would be distributed, according to the CBC.

"I think it's a bit of a wait and see," Castle said. "I don't know if [Genome Canada] did totally get squeezed out, but they certainly didn't get included in any sort of stimulus package."


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