Question Period Note: Health Research

• Budget 2024 proposed a suite of measures to modernize the federal research support system, including investments in core research, scholarships and fellowships.

• Our government continues to invest in health research with potential to solve health challenges facing Canadians.
• We also recognize that student and postgraduate researchers are tackling the world’s biggest challenges. Their solutions have potential to make the world a better place and drive Canadian prosperity and health.
• Government support for master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral students creates new research opportunities for the next generation and helps keep Canada’s top research talent at home.
• That is why Budget 2024 provides $825 million to increase the value and number of research scholarships and fellowships.
• Budget 2024 also provides $1.8 billion to the federal granting councils to increase core research grant funding and support our vibrant health research community.
These are just a few examples that demonstrate our commitment to supporting a vibrant health research community to improve the health outcomes of Canadians.
IF PRESSED ON THE DETAILS OF THE CAPSTONE FUNDING ORGANIZATION

• Canada’s world-class researchers are solving the most pressing challenges of today, and making groundbreaking discoveries in areas such as climate change and health.
• To provide better coordination across the federally funded research ecosystem and maximize the impact of government support, Budget 2024 announced the creation of a new research funding organization.
• The new organization and structure will strengthen and modernize Canada’s federal support for research.
• It will help to advance internationally collaborative, multi-disciplinary and mission-driven research.

Budget 2021 committed funding to grow Canada’s bio-manufacturing sector, including $250 million to create a new Clinical Trials Fund through CIHR, and $250 million through granting agencies to create a research fund to support bio-innovation-related research. It also committed $30 million over two years for paediatric cancer research and $20 million over 5 years to support the National Institute for Women’s Health Research, as well as $25 million over five years for diabetes initiatives, including research. Budget 2022 committed $20 million over five years to ramp up efforts to learn more about dementia and brain health and 20 million over five years for research on post-COVID condition. Other commitments included $40.9 million over five years, and $9.7 million ongoing to the federal granting agencies for scholarships and fellowships for promising Black student researchers.

Budget 2024 proposed significant investments in research, including $825 million to increase the value and number of research scholarships and fellowships, $30 million to support Indigenous researchers and their communities, and $1.8 billion to the federal granting councils to increase core research grant funding.
Specifically, Budget 2024’s investment will 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. It will also increase the number of research scholarships and fellowships provided, building to approximately 1,720 more graduate students or postdoctoral researchers benefiting each year. In addition to increasing the number and value of graduate scholarships and fellowships, Budget 2024 also commits to making it easier for students and fellows to access support by streamlining the programs into one talent program.
Finally, to provide better coordination across the federally funded research ecosystem and maximize the impact of government support, Budget 2024 announced the creation of a new research funding organization.

• The Government of Canada is making progress on the commitment to develop a plan to modernize the federal research funding ecosystem.
• In October 2022, the Government launched the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System (the Advisory Panel) to provide independent, expert policy advice on the structure and governance of the federal system supporting research and talent.
• Budget 2024 provides $825 million to increase the value and number of research scholarships and fellowships, and $1.8 billion to the federal granting councils to increase core research grant funding.