Critical report spawns comprehensive response

As part of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research’s first report to Parliament, which was submitted at the beginning of the summer, Chair Kirsty Duncan included a formal request for a response from the government. At the beginning of October, François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, posted a response on behalf of two federal departments: Health Canada and Innovation, Science, and Economic Development.

He directly addressed the report’s emphasis on the ongoing and steady decline of Canada’s investment in research and development, as well as critical observations about the complexity of the country’s approach to organizing and funding these activities.

“Work has been underway since 2019 to develop a modern, harmonized grants management system to provide a more user-friendly experience for applicants, administrators and reviewers,” said Champagne.

With regard to integrating the management and support for research, he cited a number of initiatives that have been introduced by the government, including the Canada Research Coordinating Committee in 2017, the New Frontiers in Research Fund in 2018, and the Canada Biomedical Research Fund and CFI Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund in 2021.

Champagne highlighted the most recent of these initiatives, the introduction of an Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System in September.

“The Panel, composed of thought leaders in the science, research and innovation spheres, will review and recommend improvements to the structure, governance, and management of the federal research support system to better respond to government priorities and the needs of the modern research enterprise,” he said. “We look forward to receiving the Panel’s advice by winter 2022.”

He also acknowledged the government’s desire to tackle another challenge presented in the report — the funding and governance of research facilities. Despite the crucial role of such facilities in scientific discovery and education, noted Champagne, “there is little coordination in terms of the strategic management or funding for these facilities over their full lifecycle.” With the aim of making support for these institutions more coherent and predictable, he added, “We will be conducting targeted engagement with key stakeholders in fall 2022 to solicit their views.”

With specific reference to the report’s observations about declining support for Canadian research and development, Champagne offered the 2017 “Naylor report” as the key motivation for the 2018 federal budget’s $1.7 billion expenditure investment in granting councils and research institutions, which was subsequently welcomed by the research community.

Nor was that support targeted primarily at the largest, most high profile municipalities and institutions, Champagne insisted. “Federal research funders have introduced various measures to better support small and medium-sized institutions, many of which are located outside of major cities, to support their capacity to conduct high-quality research while maintaining a commitment to merit.”

According to him, those efforts have also extended to promoting talent and diversity within the ranks of the research community. Many members of that community lost access to their workplaces or educational resources with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, a public health crisis that prompted a sweeping economic response from the government. The subsequent launch of the Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund provided wage support for some 32,000 people in research positions across the country, a measure that reflected the value attached to members of this sector.

“Our coordinated efforts today will be a critical factor in strengthening the pipeline of new technologies and talent of tomorrow,” concluded Champagne. “Purpose-driven translation of fundamental research into applications and commercial products will lay a solid foundation for long-term socio-economic recovery and enduring resilience for Canada — an endeavour for which we all have to work together.”

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