Robarts courting UWO

Thu, February 8, 2007
The cash-strapped research institute is in merger talks.
By JOHN MINER, SUN MEDIA

Canada’s only independent research institute is talking merger with the University of Western Ontario after running into financial difficulty.

The board of the Robarts Research Institute, based in London, decided to approach UWO because research grants weren’t covering its costs.

“Our board has concluded the current model is simply not sustainable in the long run without changes in the funding model,” spokesperson Linda Quattrin said yesterday.

If a deal is reached, the institute — it has a $55-million annual budget and employs 600 in its medical research — would be incorporated as an institute in Western’s Schulich School of Medicine.

“We are both committed, Robarts and the university, to find a win-win solution,” said Ted Garrard, UWO’s vice-president external.

Garrard said the talks started several months ago and are still underway.

An agreement would have to be approved by UWO’s senate and board of governors.

Robarts in many ways has been a victim of its own success, said Quattrin.

Its scientists have been successful on the national and international stages, winning more than $45 million in research grants, she said.

“But with those research funds come costs to the operation in personnel, services, light, heat and water. As Canada’s only independent research institute, we have never had access to funding by government for operations, unlike a university and hospital,” Quattrin said.

Instead, the institute depends on donations, money from commercial ventures and investments to cover costs.

Its success in commercialization includes the spinoff of eight companies, 15 licensing agreements and the filing of more than 80 patents.

Quattrin declined to say how much money the institute is short.

Founded in 1986, Robarts tackles a range of medical issues, including cardiovascular diseases, immune-related disorders and brain diseases.

Garrard said the university supports Robarts’s research thrust and often collaborates with its scientists.

“It is hoped there would be the opportunity to build upon the fact both groups would be working under the same umbrella and Robarts could continue to pursue its research mandate,” he said.

If a merger takes place, that would only strengthen both organizations, said Peter Bruijns, president of the Stiller Centre for Biotechnology Commercialization.

“I do see an opportunity for both to come out better for the experience,” said Bruijns, who’s not part of the talks.

Robarts isn’t alone in having to look for ways to cut costs and find efficiencies, said Marilyn Sinclair, general manager of TechAlliance in London.

“Things are tighter these days. I think everyone is probably experiencing the same thing,” she said.

ROBARTS INSTITUTE

- A non-profit medical research facility, it opened in 1986 and is located at the University of Western Ontario.

- Hundreds work at Robarts, doing research into diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke and Alzheimer’s.

Source: London Free Press