Canada seeks to attract top scientists

LIKE Europe, Canada is looking to attract top US scientists who may want to evade President Donald Trump's crackdown on universities and research institutions.

- 

But to succeed, Canada will need to summon something it has at times lacked, namely "bold ambition," the head of the country's largest hospital chain said.

Trump's funding cuts for scientific research are freeing up talent and "creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to recruit, said Kevin Smith, the chief executive of Toronto's University Health Network (UHN).

To seize that opportunity, Canada has to ditch its traditional "incrementalist" approach, Smith added.

"Let's not say good enough is good enough. Let's say excellent is where we need to go."

Experts say Trump's policies could trigger a tectonic shift in the global competition for the world's brightest minds.

For decades, deep-pocketed US universities backed by federal support have scooped up talent, including in biomedical research.

But Trump's administration has already slashed billions of dollars in research grants affecting various institutions, including most notably Harvard University.