Editorial - 26-7

Imagine yourself as an aspiring, successful mid-career researcher from Canada or abroad who has recently been awarded a generous research chair. Attracted to a particular institution by the prospect of a healthy research support environment, you're soon confronted with a distinctly different reality. You discover that the agencies tasked with providing that supportive environment are suffering from a seemingly never-ending series of small cuts to programs and services, limiting your ability to sustain the vibrant team you've carefully compiled.

Such is the reality of the current Canadian academic research environment. Anecdotal evidence suggests that researchers in mid-career are being recruited in increasing numbers by countries where the support environment is more robust. Germany, in particular, is said to be offering spectacular packages to support researchers throughout their careers (see page 5).

Beyond the research "stars" the government is aggressively courting, the bulk of discovery in Canada is achieved by the thousands of researchers and students who depend on the councils' discovery research programs. But stagnating budgets are eating into success rates, interrupting important research programs and projects before they can be concluded.

Other countries seem to understand the holistic needs of researchers better than Canada and are successfully attracting our talent. Innovation and the research that underpins are part of a global enterprise. The sooner Canadian decision makers realize it the better.