Life Sciences Research
Why does the Tula Foundation support research in the life sciences?
Most Canadian life scientists work at universities and receive funding from government agencies—from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Insitutes for Health Research, Genome Canada, etc. Increasingly, and inevitably, government and taxpayers expect scientists be accountable:
- They should focus on problems that are current public priorities—fixing climate change and other environmental problems, curing specific diseases, etc.
- They should contribute to the growth of the national economy via discoveries that have commercial applications.
The public therefore increasingly sees science as society’s R&D department. We are not going to dispute these priorities here or debate the wisdom of this approach to national science policy over the long term—those paying the piper certainly get to call the tune.
But we think there is more to science than this short term, utilitarian mentality would allow. Perhaps we’re old fashioned, but we at the Tula Foundation see science as a very special human activity:
- Driven by the natural human spirit of exploration and imagination.
- The finest expression of human culture and intellect.
- A creative enterprise, in this regard certainly not inferior to any other cultural pursuit.
- And just plain interesting and inspiring.
(And by the way, we would argue that it is open-ended exploratory research that typically leads to the discoveries that ultimately have the greatest benefit for society.)
In any era, certain fields of research hold more promise than others. Typically it is a suite of new research tools that creates the opportunities for discovery in these promising fields. Today, we believe that molecular biology is such a field, so that is where we concentrate our support. Powerful tools developed for such targeted initiatives as the Human Genome Project are available for application in a wide range of research areas that may or may not have obvious short-term benefits.
Unfashionable Research; Long Term Benefits
In 1944 Barbara McClintock identified two genetic loci in maize that seemed to be able to change their position on the chromosome. But the notion of 'jumping genes' was contrary to the dogma of the day, and after a decade of careful research, she was forced to abandon the work because of lack of support. By 1983, the significance of her work had been recognized, and she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering 'mobile genetics elements', which are now a cornerstone of all research in molecular biology. Great scientific research, unfashionable though it may be at the time, pays off in the long run.
Other Initiatives in Science
Science Education (Shad Valley)
Shad Valley is a month-long summer residence program in science, technology and entrepreneurship for top high school seniors, that is hosted by12 Canadian universities, including Laval in Quebec. Students may also then complete internships with Canadian companies.
The Tula Foundation is happy to work with Shad to ensure that the program really draws the 'best and brightest' students, not just the 'best and brightest urban and affluent' students. To that end, since 2002 the Tula Foundation has awarded approximately 40 bursaries per year to prospective students who are talented but financially disadvantaged. The Tula Foundation currently contributes $60,000 per year to this program.
We hope that we are helping to foster the next generation of scientists, some of whom may even contribute in our areas of specific interest.