BRIEF FROM THE CANADA FOUNDATION FOR INNOVATION, CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH, NATURAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF CANADA AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AND
HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Canadian Institutes of
Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of
Canada (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
(SSHRC) are the federally funded agencies that are at the heart of Canada’s
vibrant research ecosystem. Together, our investments support Canada’s top
research talent and state-of-the art research infrastructure at post-secondary
institutions across the country. The research we fund advances knowledge and
understanding of the past and present. It enables training of the next
generation, inspires innovative business processes, new products and services,
high-paying jobs, better health outcomes, sound public policy, and a cleaner
environment — all building blocks for a prosperous Canada.
While other governments are cutting back on
funding research and innovation in the face of economic uncertainty, our
government has invested more. That is because our government understands that science and technology power
Canada’s economy.
The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State
for Science and Technology (June 1, 2011)
INTRODUCTION
Canada’s strong post-secondary research performance, in
universities, colleges and teaching hospitals, is an important strategic asset
that will give the country a leg up in emerging successfully from the global
economic downturn. Research advances knowledge, feeds policy development, creates new commercial opportunities, builds
competitiveness, stimulates job creation, improves health outcomes, mitigates
environmental impacts and identifies innovative approaches for delivering
services that improve the lives of Canadians.
To ensure continued economic and social progress over the medium
term, the Government of Canada will need to maintain the winning conditions
that foster sustainable growth: making steady progress in eliminating the
fiscal deficit, tapping into new markets for Canadian business and investing in
Canada’s economic future. Continued government investment in research and
development (R&D) is essential for creating these winning conditions.
Public investments in R&D provide significant economic returns,
usually ranging between 20% and 45% per year, depending on the focus of the
research.[1] This is significantly higher than the average economic rate of return across
all spending by governments, households and firms, which for Canada is 7%.
IMPACT: Working with industry
SSHRC-funded research on 3-D environments is revolutionizing
e-commerce. Paul Messinger, a professor of marketing at the University of
Alberta, is working alongside IBM to bring online shopping together with the
virtual worlds used in web-based communities such as Second Life. His research
includes developing new ways to market products in virtual environments and
innovative approaches to conducting business online such as using 3-D avatars
to try on clothes and test products before you buy. The Canadian
online marketplace accounts for over $60 billion in sales annually.
The CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC and the CFI enable research partnerships and
the flow of knowledge across universities, colleges and the marketplace to
enrich a culture of business innovation. Through our programs, we support
collaboration between those who advance knowledge and those best suited to turn
knowledge into benefits for Canadians.
We are committed to the important roles we play in helping Canada
achieve a strong economy with productive industries, vibrant communities and
healthy citizens. As we work together to develop innovative solutions for the
challenges facing us today, we are helping define a successful future for
Canada in the 21st century.
IMPACT: Working together to address key issues
CIHR and NSERC are funding researchers across
Canada from the health sciences, physics, chemistry and engineering who are
developing alternatives to Technetium-99m, the medical imaging isotope that has
been in short supply since 2000. The research will translate advances in
imaging into applications that will help health professionals in patient
diagnosis and treatment, and that will ultimately benefit the Canadian economy
through the life sciences industrial sector.
We are collaborating in attracting and retaining talent through funding for the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships
and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, along with the Canada Research
Chairs and Canada Excellence Research Chairs, which are awarded to the “best of
the best” researchers. Approximately 30% of Canada Research Chair
holders have been attracted from abroad.
The College and Community
Innovation (CCI) Program administered by NSERC, working with the CFI, CIHR and
SSHRC, is also helping strengthen the role of colleges in the innovation system
through partnerships between colleges and the private sector. This program
increases economic development in communities and creates new high-quality jobs
based on know-how and technological innovation, particularly for the benefit of
small and medium-sized enterprises. Since 2008, the CCI Program has invested more
than $44 million in 154 projects, which have led to at least 198 new industrial
partnerships and leveraged more than $12.4 million in contributions from
private-sector partners.
The ability of Canada’s research
enterprise to strengthen partnerships, maintain a leadership position, and
attract and retain top global talent is crucial to bolster the country’s
competitive edge and chart a path to a prosperous future.
KEY DIRECTIONS FOR BUILDING PROSPERITY
Recommendation 1: Invest in strengthening partnerships to close the
innovation gap
Effective partnerships leverage the knowledge, creativity,
strengths and resources of different partners to achieve common goals.
Partnerships between the academic and private sectors connect researchers with
business leaders to foster new insights and inventions that will generate
tangible benefits for society. Building a strong interface between
post-secondary institutions and the private, public and non-profit sectors is
essential to accelerate the pace of discovery and commercialization and turn
Canadian research efforts into successes in the marketplace.
IMPACT: Making business more competitive
Alberta’s oil sands represent the world’s second
largest hydrocarbon basin. But once the tar-like bitumen is removed from the ground,
it must be upgraded to heavy oil — a process that consumes large amounts of
fresh water and energy. NSERC-funded researchers at the University of Calgary’s
CFI-funded In Situ Energy Centre are reducing the cost and environmental impact
of the process by testing innovative ways of converting the bitumen before it
leaves the ground. Oil sands companies such as Shell Canada, Nexen Inc., Total
E&P Canada and ConocoPhillips Canada have already
expressed their interest in this research.
The CFI: Partnering for prosperity
Because CFI funding covers up to 40 percent of research
infrastructure projects, universities and colleges must have a plan in place to
raise the remaining 60 percent. Provinces often contribute a large proportion
of that, but private-sector firms have also jumped on board. To date, the
private sector has contributed $1.2 billion to CFI-funded projects. Why?
Because it makes good business sense. Such investments
allow companies to field test new products, attract new customers and create trusted
relationships with institutions and researchers who are on the cutting-edge in
their fields. Over the past decade, the CFI has invested approximately $2.1
billion in research infrastructure that supports the work of CIHR and
NSERC-funded researchers who have working relationships with private-sector
companies. This represents 48% of the CFI’s total infrastructure investment.
CIHR: Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research
To help the provinces and territories deliver high-quality,
cost-effective health care, CIHR and a coalition of national stakeholders has
led the development of the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research. The Strategy
contributes to Canada’s sustained economic recovery by improving health
outcomes, determining more effective practices and interventions, and improving
the cost-effectiveness of health service delivery. While these efficiencies and
savings will have a dramatic impact on health care costs (which now exceeds
$190 billion annually), the increased capacity and decreased barriers to
clinical research will mean more jobs.
NSERC: Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation
Building on its current annual investments of approximately $330
million in partnered R&D, NSERC’s Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation
(SPI) helps Canadian companies prosper by connecting and collaborating with
colleges and universities. These investments lever more than $160 million
annually from more than 1,900 Canadian companies. Of the close to 800 new
collaborations that have occurred within the past 15 months, 442 involved
companies that are new to NSERC’s partnership programs and 88% have been with
small or medium-sized enterprises. The SPI features Engage Grants to foster new
collaborations between companies and academics. Of the companies involved in Engage
Grants, 94% have gained new knowledge or developed new technologies as a result
of their partnership, and 90% use or plan to use the new knowledge acquired
through the partnership.
SSHRC: New funding opportunities for partnerships
SSHRC has put in place flexible funding opportunities that enable
post-secondary institutions and private sector, government, non-profit and
community-based organizations to pursue new insights into pressing issues
through collaborative research. This year, SSHRC is adding a new “Digital
Economy” priority area to support research and knowledge exchange on the
nature, impact and integration of digital technologies in all aspects of our
economy, society and culture. Partners will explore how we individually and
collectively enhance, adapt to, and take advantage of, widespread connectivity
and digital media. The lines of enquiry include innovation across campuses and
communities using digital technologies, building a world-class digital
infrastructure, growing the ICT industry, creating Canada’s digital content
advantage, and building digital skills for tomorrow.
Government investment in post-secondary research stimulates
increased R&D and fosters innovation in the private and non-profit sectors.
This is important because one of the key weaknesses in Canada’s innovation
system identified by the Science, Technology and Innovation Council as well as
the OECD, has been the relatively low level of business investment in R&D,
and adoption of transformative new technologies in Canada.
IMPACT: Focusing and accelerating innovation
Research funded through The Green Aviation
Research and Development Network (GARDN), one
of four inaugural Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence created in
2009, has contributed to the design of landing gear for the new Bombardier
Global 7000 aircraft and the improvement of the equipment to select an aircraft
flight path for better fuel efficiency. GARDN is also helping the Canadian
aerospace industry meet its environmental responsibilities and ensure competitiveness
in the global marketplace.
Two key programs supported by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC provide these
benefits — the Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE) and the
Centres of Excellence for Commercialization
and Research (CECR). BL-NCEs and CECRs help close Canada’s innovation productivity
gap and increase the level of business investment in R&D.
Recommendation 2: Maintain Canada’s international competitiveness
in research
Canada ranks first in the G7 in terms of R&D performed by the
higher education sector, as a percentage of GDP and leads the G8 in scientific
output per capita.[2] The positive momentum in Canada’s research, training and innovation capacity is
enabling the attraction and retention of some of the world’s top minds, providing
Canada with a significant R&D and innovation advantage for the future.
Continued investments in the foundation are needed to sustain a world-class
research environment and provide opportunities for top researchers and students
to work on stimulating and well supported projects. Canada’s global reputation
for cutting-edge research forms the foundation of the country’s innovation
system, and it is a resource that is highly valued by all, including the
private sector. Fully exploiting this advantage through continued public
R&D investments will drive economic and social outcomes that benefit Canadians.
In accordance with the Government of Canada’s S&T Strategy,
investments by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC have supported top researchers and their
ideas, while the CFI has funded the state-of-the-art tools those researchers
need to compete with the best in the world. Canada’s post-secondary
institutions now have the capacity to attract top talent and make cutting-edge,
world-changing discoveries. Supporting world-class research that has global
impact is our common, underlying mission, for it is excellence that builds the
country’s reputation for effective training programs, strong partnerships and
international networks that advance knowledge to solve global challenges.
Given the globalization of research, economic competition and
business supply chains, to maintain Canada’s solid foundation in R&D, it is
also essential to partner with the best international researchers to maximize
the returns from research and to open up — and seize — new research
opportunities. In recent years, we have each developed innovative initiatives
that focus on domestic and international strategic partnerships in an effort to
increase the impact of research on communities and industries through
collaboration.
IMPACT: International collaborations
All four agencies are making significant
investments in Northern research on topics such as Aboriginal People’s health,
food security in Northern communities and youth involvement issues. Over the
next five years, a team of Canada’s world-class northern researchers will
collaborate with their international counterparts to study the impact of
changing permafrost and snowfall on landscapes, wildlife, northern communities
and northern industries. The $4 million grant was issued in June 2011 under
NSERC’s Discovery Frontiers initiative to support the Arctic Development and
Adaptation to Permafrost in Transition (ADAPT) project, led by Université Laval
ecologist Warwick Vincent.
Canada’s leadership in international research is critical in
shaping our future. “The North is intrinsic to who we are as a nation”, as
Professor Sherrill Grace[3] has emphasized in her research on Canadian identity. The Government of Canada
is taking action to implement the Northern Strategy for the benefit of all
Canadians. World-leading Arctic research underpins this strategy and helps
ensure sound decision-making.[4] Direct investments in the research and infrastructure address the challenges and seize the many opportunities
that exist in the North today. We have built a capacity for northern research
and we will continue to play a key role in supporting this robust research
enterprise into the future.
Recommendation 3: Uphold Canada’s reputation as a top destination
for global research talent
The global job market is increasingly being driven by talented,
skilled, creative and highly mobile people who are commercializing innovative
ideas and developing new business processes that drive economies and improve
quality of life. The federal S&T Strategy recognizes that to create jobs
for Canadians and attract world-class talent from around the globe, we must
nurture tomorrow’s leaders by providing both scholarships to students and
direct funding to the researchers who create a robust training environment. The
Government of Canada has demonstrated its commitment to investing in talent,
innovation and research, especially in times of economic restraint.
IMPACT: Investing in the next generation
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar Channakeshava (Keshav)
Sokke Umeshappa examines the interactions between various types of immune cells
to better understand how they create an optimal immune response and defend the
body against cancers and viral diseases. Originally from India, the University
of Saskatchewan student says the Vanier Scholarship not only gave him the
financial security to focus on his research, but it also put him in good stead
to become a leader in his field.
The CFI, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC are committed to supporting programs
such as the Canada Research Chairs, the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, the
Vanier Scholarships and the Banting Fellowships — all key pieces of Canada’s
vibrant research ecosystem. These programs boost Canada’s pool of research
talent and help feed new and emerging areas
of the labour market. To date, they have attracted almost 700 world-class
researchers to Canada who, in turn, are attracting additional researchers and
graduate students.
Each year, thousands of students
work with top researchers in world-class research facilities funded by the CFI
where they acquire the skills they need to bring new ideas and innovative approaches
to the workplace. Attracting and retaining the world’s most talented
researchers in the early stages of their career also helps build our nation’s
long-term capacity for innovation.
CONCLUSION
Sustaining investments for Canada’s prosperity
Our agencies and the CFI thank the government for its continued
investments in world-class research, talent and infrastructure. Budgets are
about tough choices for government. They are about setting national priorities
and making sure that the impact of the investments being made will benefit all
Canadians. Bringing people and sectors together to develop creative solutions
is vital to enhance the country’s competitive advantage. In Budget 2012, the
Government of Canada has an opportunity to send a clear signal that a sustained
investment in research is crucial to ensure a brighter future for Canadians.
Knowledge and Innovation are the drivers of
success in the 21st century global economy. To be a world leader in knowledge and
innovation, we must continue to attract and develop talented people, and
increase our capacity for world-leading research and development. These have
been the driving principles of the Government of Canada’s Science and
Technology Strategy, and the basis for ongoing investments we have made to support research talent in our
country.
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime
Minister of Canada (August 3, 2011)