Editorial - 26-5

The guiding hand of Dr Alain Beaudet is becoming evident as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) unveils the first initiative under its Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). Despite a scarcity of funds, the CIHR president has managed to double the amount of money available for the CIHR/Rx&D Collaborative Research Program as part of a consolidation of targeted programs and initiatives in support of clinical research (see page 3).

If successfully executed, Canadian health research should produce better outcomes for patients, cost savings for the provinces and new technologies heading to the marketplace. Boosting clinical trials is key to SPOR's success as Canada has been losing share to both developed nations and low-cost jurisdictions. By tying the CIHR/Rx&D program to SPOR, optimizing the clinical trials process could receive ready by-in from industry.

The SPOR strategy is just one leg of reform now underway at CIHR. Earlier this year, the agency launched a major reform process for how it categorizes and adjudicates grant applications citing the need to reduce complexity and time required for researchers to participate in competitions under CIHR's Open Suite of Programs (R$, March 15/12).

While CIHR's strategy for renewal promises a range of improvements, it does not alleviate the unsustainable pressure on its budget. Contrary to government assertions, support for the granting councils is stagnant at a time when previous investments are boosting the number of researchers seeking support. A solution to this problem lies with government.