Ottawa announced plans to fund medical research on Ontario with 72 million dolllars today - and most of that will go to the University of Toronto.

Ottawa says it to help prevent that always-threatened brain drain of scientists to the U.S.

"One of our most important objectives must be to keep the best and brightest here in our country, so that we will be the beneficiaries of their work," says Health Minister Allan Rock.

Rock had no statistics to support his claims of a brain drain. In fact a recent U.S. population survey shows the number of Canadians living in the U.S. has declined by 260,000 over the last 18 years.

The Medical Research Council of Canada says with an average of grant of $70,000, it's not possible to be competitive with U.S. companies. U.S. research grants are on an average four times as great.

The federal Liberals slashed research funding by ten percent between 1994 and 1997. Rock promises by 2001, Ottawa will double research grants for health research.