HESA Committee Report

Appendix A Budget 2005

New Federal Investments from Recent Budgets: Budget 2005

Funding for health-specific innovation

• $32 million increase in the annual base budget of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), resulting in an overall budget of $697 million.
• $10 million to the Terry Fox Foundation in recognition of the 25^th anniversary of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope, which through the National Cancer Institute of Canada funds cancer research.
• $35 million over the next seven years for a new Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE).

Funding which involves a health innovation component

• $165 million to Genome Canada to sustain its support for breakthrough genomics research.
• $30 million to the Canadian Academies of Science (CAS) to sustain the basic operation of the organization for 10 years, through 2015.
• $20 million per year for five years to Precarn in support of research and development (R&D) in intelligent systems and advanced robotics, extending the previous sun-setting five-year commitment.
• $15 million annual increase to the Indirect Cost of Research Program for federally funded research at universities and colleges, bringing the total annual funding to $260 million.

Budget 2006

Increased funding for health-specific innovation

• $17 million increase in the annual base budget of CIHR, resulting in an overall base budget of $723.5 million, enabling new programs: a Global Health Research Initiative, a Clinical Research Initiative, and a Regenerative Medicine and Nanotechnology Initiative.

Funding which involves a health innovation component

• $17 million per year for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
• $260 million over five years to the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada to implement the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (CSCC) for screening, prevention, and research activities, and to enhance coordination among the federal government, cancer community groups, and the provinces and territories.
• In November 2006, the Government announced the creation of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC), an independent, not-for-profit corporation responsible for the implementation of the CSCC. CPAC will help support a pan-Canadian approach to cancer control and will, therefore, need to collaborate closely with all relevant partners to facilitate better coordination of activities and efforts across the country. Of the $260 million for the CSCC, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada each receive $1 million per year over five years to support linkages between the CPAC’s knowledge translation activities and other cancer portfolio members, and to promote international activities and federal leadership on cancer.
• $40 million per year for the Indirect Costs of Research Program.
• $20 million per year for the Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF) of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Budget 2007

Funding for health-specific innovation

• $37 million increase in the annual base budget of CIHR, resulting in an overall base budget of $780 million. This represents an increase of 17% to the annual base budget since 2004.
• $30 million over five years to the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation (Foundation) for the Spinal Cord Injury Translational Research Network (SCI-TRN).
• $10 million over the next two years and $15 million per year thereafter for the establishment of a Canadian Mental Health Commission (the Commission) to lead the development of a national mental health strategy.

Funding which involves a health innovation component

• $37 million for NSERC, targeted to research in energy, the environment and information and communications technologies, including health (e.g., electronic health records).
• $11 million for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), targeted to research in management, business and finance, as applied to health and other priority sectors.
• $46 million ($11 million in 2008-2009) to fund, over a 4-year period, up to 5 new business-led, large-scale collaborative networks of centres of excellence (B-NCEs) in priority areas, including health.
• $350 million over 2006-2007 and the next two years to support eight large-scale Centres of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECR) in priority areas where Canada has the potential to be a global leader, including in health.
• $100 million in 2006–07 to provide Genome Canada with sustained funding for its six regional genome centres and related technology platforms, extend promising research projects, and support Canada’s participation in strategic international research collaborations. 
• $10 million over the next two years to the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) to enhance its activities and enable it to raise funds from other stakeholders.$15 million per year to support the Indirect Costs of Research Program.         
• $35 million over two years and $27 million per year thereafter to expand scholarships to enable additional young Canadians to pursue graduate‑level studies . 
• $510 million to the CFI .
• $120 million in 2006–07 to CANARIE Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that manages CA*net, a sophisticated research broadband network that links Canadian universities, research hospitals as well as other science facilities in other countries.

Budget 2008

Funding for health-specific innovation

• $34 million per year to CIHR for research that addresses the health priorities of Canadians, including the health needs of northern communities, health problems associated with environmental conditions, and food and drug safety.
• $20 million endowment to the Gairdner Foundation to create Canada Gairdner International Awards (medical science);
• $21 million over two years to strengthen the ability of Canadian universities to attract and retain top science leaders through the establishment of up to 20 Canada Global Excellence Research Chairs, including in health;
• $100 million to the Mental Health Commission of Canada to support innovative mental health best practices. 

Funding which involves a health innovation component

• $140 million to Genome Canada to launch a new competition in the priority area of genetic research, support six regional genome centers and help Canadian researchers participate in an international genomics project.
• Providing an additional $15 million per year to the Indirect Costs of Research program  to help institutions support the research activities made possible by the new resources provided to the federal granting councils.
• $25 million over two years to establish a new Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) award for top Canadian and international doctoral students.
• $3 million over the next two years to the federal granting councils to establish a new study stipend for CGS recipients who study at institutions outside the country. These new stipends will be worth up to $6,000, and will be available to 250 CGS recipients each year for one semester of foreign studies.
• $12 million per year to SSHRC for research that contributes to a better understanding of how the environment affects the lives of Canadians and of the social and economic development needs of northern communities.