CERC program should be continued but improvements recommended: evaluation

The first comprehensive evaluation of the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) program recommends that it be continued for another five years to attract more international research talent to the country, support the government's objective of achieving global excellence in research and assist universities in building research capacity in the priority areas outlined in the federal S&T Strategy.

Yet the evaluation also found that the CERC program could be enhanced if the secretariat clarified expectations, improved reporting procedures and promoted best practices for the sustainability of research capacity (see chart).

Conducted by Montreal-based Science Metrix, the evaluation found that CERC works well in concert with other federal S&T programs and investments as the program makes "good progress towards achieving all of its expected immediate outcomes".

In addition to attracting world-class researchers to Canadian institutions, it also succeeded in attracting or involving hundreds of high-calibre researchers and highly qualified personnel (HQP) to the CERC units — teams developed to support each chair holder.

"Evaluation evidence confirms the exceptionally high level of scientific accomplishments of the group of researchers recruited as chairholders in the first CERC competition, all of whom came from institutions outside of Canada. The bibliometric analysis shows that CERC chairholders are world-leading scientists: as a whole, their peer-reviewed publications outperformed both researchers from Canada and the world, based on indicators of scientific impact and quality prior to being recruited." — CERC Evaluation Report

Announced in 2008, the first tranche of 19 chairholders was chosen in 2010 in priority areas outlined in the S&T Strategy — environmental sciences and technologies, natural resources and energy, health and related life sciences and technologies, and information and communications technologies. Each chairholder received $10 million over seven years. A second competition was launched in 2012 and to date four have been announced with another seven expected this year.

Of the 18 CERC units in operation when the evaluation was conducted, more than 300 researchers were involved as well as more than 800 HQP (students, postdoctoral fellows and research/technical personnel).

"Without the CERC award, most chairholders reported that they would not have moved to the institution or even to Canada," states the report. "This statement was echoed by several high-calibre researchers and HQP."

Fierce competition

The report makes clear that recruiting the calibre of researchers the program was created to attract is not easy, given the fierce global competition from similar programs launched at about same time in other countries.

Science Metrix also found that CERC units are not particularly visible outside their host institutions and have been relatively ineffective at leveraging funds from non-academic sources (foreign sources, provincial governments, trusts, foundations and companies).

Lack of flexibility in the use of CERC funds was also cited as a concern, although some improvements have been made.

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CERC Evaluation Report.pdf