Question Period Note: Modernizing Canada’s Research System

• In October 2022, the Ministers of Health and of Innovation, Science and Industry (ISI) launched the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System to provide advice on modernizing the federal support system with a specific focus on the relationship between the granting agencies (the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
• The Report of the Advisory Panel (i.e., Bouchard Report) was released in March 2023 and identified a series of issues within the existing federal research support system (e.g., lagging investment levels in research and talent, difficulties in supporting interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary, collaborative and international research, lack of independent science advisory functions and a common vision for the ecosystem, and outdated approach to supporting Major Research Facilities). The Bouchard Report also provided a series of 21 recommendations to address these issues.
• In response, the Government developed a comprehensive plan to modernize the federal support system for scientific research and talent with complementary investments sought through Budget 2024.

• Science and research are key to solving the increasingly complex challenges facing Canada and the world. Canada needs to attract talent, reduce brain drain, boost economic participation, and maintain Canada’s scientific reputation and leadership, as well as ensure we can adequately prepare for and respond to current and future health challenges.
• That is why the Government of Canada announced a series of critical reinvestments and actions in Budget 2024 to modernize the federal research support system.
• This includes the creation of a new capstone research funding organization connecting the three federal granting agencies, $1.8 billion over five years to increase core research grant funding and support Canadian researchers, and $825 million over five years to increase the number and value of graduate scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships to better support our next generation of scientists and researchers.
• The government will continue to work with the research community in the coming months to advance these important modernization efforts.
IF PRESSED ON THE INCLUSION OF CIHR WITHIN THE NEW ORGANIZATION

• The inclusion of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) within the new organization will allow for health and public health to be at the forefront of priority setting for the organization as a whole. In doing so, it will better enable Canada to leverage the strengths of our broad science and research communities to address the complex challenges we face, including future health emergencies.
• As the pandemic illustrated, Canada’s vibrant health research enterprise is one of our core strengths. As the Government moves forward with implementing these modernization efforts, we will continue to engage with the health research community to mitigate potential risks that may materially impact, now or later, research that is critical for our health and wellbeing.

Budget 2018 made significant investments in Canada’s higher-education research enterprise as part of the government’s commitment to a new vision for Canadian science. A condition of Budget 2018 funding was that the Ministers of Science and Health were to report to Cabinet on progress in advancing key elements of this science vision (e.g., enhancing coordination and agility within the system, understanding the impacts of federal investments).

Following a comprehensive review at ISED of the practices, processes, and programs of the granting agencies (Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)), the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System was launched in October 2022. The objective of the Advisory Panel was to provide further advice on modernizing the system with a specific focus on the relationship between the granting agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The Advisory Panel, chaired by Dr. Frédéric Bouchard of the Université de Montréal, presented its report (i.e., the Bouchard Report) containing a series of 21 recommendations in March 2023.

In response to the Bouchard Report, the government developed a comprehensive modernization plan for the federal support system for scientific research and talent. The plan is comprised of the following components:
• Creation of a new capstone research funding organization through connecting the three granting agencies (CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC). The agencies will continue to exist within the new organization;
• Harmonization of existing trainee support programs (i.e., Tri-Agency and agency specific scholarship and fellowship programs) and streamlining of the governance of the full suite of Tri-Agency research and talent programs;
• Re-investment in research and trainees to bring supports in line with international peers as well as investment in a modernized IT system for the granting agencies;
• Creation of a Council on Science and Innovation to provide the government with independent policy advice;
• Development of a whole-of-government national science and innovation strategy to align capabilities and resources across the ecosystem;
• Establishment of a senior level Science Ecosystem Committee to coordinate intramural and extramural research in priority areas; and
• Adoption of a new approach for federal support for Major Research Facilities.

UPDATE ON BUDGET PROPOSAL
• Budget 2024 announced the Government of Canada’s actions to modernize the federal support system for scientific research and talent through:
- Creation of a new capstone research funding organization. The granting councils will continue to exist within this new organization, and continue supporting excellence in investigator-driven research, including linkages with the Health portfolio;
- Investment of $1.8 billion over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $748.3 million per year ongoing to SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR to increase core research grant funding and support Canadian researchers;
- Investment of $26.9 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $26.6 million in remaining amortization and $6.6 million ongoing, to the granting councils to establish an improved and harmonized grant management system;
- Investment of $825 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $199.8 million per year ongoing, to increase the annual value of master’s and doctoral student scholarships to $27,000 and $40,000, respectively, and post-doctoral fellowships to $70,000. This will also increase the number of research scholarships and fellowships provided, building to approximately 1,720 more graduate students or fellows benefiting each year. To make it easier for students and fellows to access support, the enhanced suite of scholarships and fellowship programs will be streamlined into one talent program; and
- Creation of the Council of Science and Innovation to be responsible for developing a National Science and Innovation Strategy.
• To provide better coordination across the federally funded research ecosystem, the government will create a new capstone research funding organization.The granting agencies (e.g., CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC) will continue to exist within this new organization and and continue supporting excellence in investigator-driven research, including linkages with the Health portfolio.
• This new organization and structure will also help to advance internationally collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and mission-driven research.