INST Committee News Release

N E W S    R E L E A S E

COMMITTEE CALLS FOR AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR ALLOCATING FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, June 12, 2002 – Today, Walt Lastewka, Chair of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, presented in the House of Commons today the Committee’s report on the allocation of research funds by Canada’s three federal granting agencies (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research). The report, entitled Canada’s Innovation Strategy: Peer Review and the Allocation of Federal Research Funds provides recommendations on how the system for the allocation of federal research funds in Canada can be improved.

“Prosperity in the new, knowledge-based economy depends, in large part, on innovation. One of the major priorities of the federal government is to improve Canada’s innovation performance since Canada lags behind other advanced economies in this regard. The three federal granting agencies all have vital roles to play in improving Canada’s innovation capacity through their support of research, training, and knowledge and technology transfer. Our report recommends ways to improve the system for the allocation of federal research funds to ensure that these investments are managed in the best way possible. Our report is intended to help the Government of Canada implement Canada’s Innovation Strategy,” said Mr. Lastewka.

Among its recommendations, the Committee calls on the Government of Canada to introduce a permanent program for the support of the indirect costs of federally funded research. The Committee also recommends increased funding for the federal granting agencies in order that financial support for excellent research and the training of highly qualified personnel can be improved.

Other recommendations deal with improving the “peer-review” process, which is used by the agencies as a mechanism to determine the allocation of funds to grant applicants. Although the Committee supports the practice of peer review, it believes that a number of improvements can be made to the system.  One recommendation calls on the granting agencies to place more effort into evaluating the impacts of federally funded research on Canadian society, and reporting those achievements to the general public.

The Committee believes that its recommendations will help the federal granting agencies in their work of supporting research and development in Canada, and in improving Canada’s innovation performance.

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Members of the Committee are: Walt Lastewka, Chair (St-Catharines); Dan McTeague, Vice-Chair (Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge); James Rajotte, Vice-Chair (Edmonton Southwest); Larry Bagnell (Yukon); Stéphane Bergeron (Verchères-Les Patriotes); Scott Brison (Kings-Hants); Bev Desjarlais (Churchill); Brian Fitzpatrick (Prince Albert); Cheryl Gallant (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke); Jocelyne Girard-Bujold (Jonquière); Serge Marcil (Beauharnois-Salaberry); Joe McGuire (Egmont);  Andy Savoy (Tobique-Mactaquac); Brent St.Denis ( Algoma-Manitoulin); Paddy Torsney (Burlington); Joseph Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence).

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