Question Period Note: CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH

• Health researchers continue to be supportive of the recommendations made in Canada’s Fundamental Science Review report (2017). Many stakeholders have called for increased funding for fundamental science and research in Canada.

KEY MESSAGES
• Our Government recognizes that investing in research and supporting Canadian researchers is pivotal to addressing health issues facing Canadians, especially since the outset of the pandemic.
• Over the last 5 years, we made historical investments toward research.
• In Budget 2018 alone, we committed nearly $4 billion over five years to support the next generation of Canadian researchers.
• This included $354.7 million over five years, with $90.1 million per year ongoing, for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to increase its support for fundamental research.
IF PRESSED ON BUDGET 2021 INVESTMENTS…
• Budget 2021 further committed to funding important research areas including clinical trials, pediatric cancer, diabetes, mental health, and women’s health – to name a few.
• With these continued investments, our Government demonstrates its commitment to support a vibrant, equitable and diverse research community that will help us address the major health challenges of tomorrow.

Budget 2018
Budget 2018 provided Canada’s federal granting agencies with investments in fundamental science:
o CIHR: $354.7 million over 5 years, $90.1 million ongoing
o NSERC: $354.7 million over 5 years, $90.1 million ongoing
o SSHRC: $215.5 million over 5 years, $54.8 million ongoing

To accelerate Canada’s transition to a more modern approach to research, Budget 2018 also proposed $275 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, and $65 million per year ongoing to create a new tri-council fund to support research that is international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking and higher-risk.
Budget 2018 also provided support for the Canada Research Chairs program - $210 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, with $50 million per year ongoing (including $82 million for CIHR, $82 million for NSERC and $46 million for SSHRC). The purpose of this investment will be to better support early-career researchers, while increasing diversity among nominated researchers, including increasing the number of women who are nominated for Canada Research Chairs.
Support for Canadian Researchers
In April 2020, the Government of Canada announced comprehensive support of nearly $9 billion for post-secondary students and recent graduates. As part of this investment, the government extended expiring federal graduate research scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships, and supplemented existing federal research grants, to support students and post-doctoral fellows, by providing $291.6 million to the federal granting councils.
In May 2020, the Government of Canada announced $450 million in funding to help Canada's academic research community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Budget 2021
In order to grow Canada’s bio-manufacturing sector, Budget 2021 invested a total of $2.2 billion over 7 years into multiple initiatives. As part of this investment, $250M will be used to create a new Clinical Trials Fund, managed by CIHR, which will support research teams and infrastructure across the country to conduct clinical trials. These trials will test new drugs, treatments, and interventions to prevent, detect, treat or manage various diseases or medical conditions.
In addition, $250M will be allocated to create a Tri-Council Biomedical Research Fund. This new fund will support bio-innovation-related research that straddles the health and natural sciences and connects these efforts to industrial and health system partners to enhance key bio-innovation capabilities.
Budget 2021 also committed $20 million over 5 years starting in 2021-22, to CIHR to support a new National Institute for Women’s Health Research. The creation of a National Institute for Women’s Health Research will advance a coordinated research program that addresses under-researched and high-priority areas of women’s health and ensure new evidence improves women’s care and health outcomes.
Finally, Budget 2021 committed $30 million dollars over two years to CIHR to fund targeted research into pediatric cancer. This funding will support promising research projects with the greatest potential for fighting pediatric cancers, and will establish research networks across Canada to address knowledge gaps in pediatric cancer research. These investments will also help improve health systems and health outcomes for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

KEY FACTS
• In Budget 2018 alone, the government committed nearly $4 billion over five years to support the next generation of Canadian researchers. This included $354.7 million over five years, with $90.1 million per year ongoing, for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to increase its support for fundamental research.