Building Forward Better

Topics:

  • COVID related:
    • Hindsight 2020: Retrospective analysis of responses to the pandemic – barriers broken, and lessons learned
    • The UN research roadmap for the COVID-19 recovery – Canada’s next steps
    • Engaging the R&D community going forward
    • Public health surveillance, foresight, and intelligence     
  • STI Policy frameworks
    • Towards holistic STI policies: Approaches that are inclusive of governments, agencies, private sector, academe
    • Beyond the Endless Frontier; Renegotiating the Social Contract between Science, Innovation, and Society 
    • The international research ecosystem/supply chain – opportunities and risks  
    • Policy and regulation of emerging technologies 
  • Government STI structures and policies
    • Federal-provincial/territorial alignment and coordination 
    • Structures for STI advice – e.g., moving from ad hoc panels to permanent advisory bodies
    • Rethinking the competitive funding model – where it works and where it does not
    • Governance and life cycle planning of major research infrastructure/facilities 
  • Indigenous knowledge
    • Integration in evidence-informed decision making
  • Climate change 
    • Carbon management goals: Issues and approaches for agriculture, forestry, food production, manufacturing, and land use 
    • Agriculture: Production, sustainability, and life cycle; precision agriculture
    • Biodiversity and conservation
    • Indigenous communities’ engagement in managing and adapting to climate change   
  • Smart cities and smart infrastructure 
  • Health
    • Regulation and evaluation of public health decisions
    • Digital health
  • Evidence Based Decision Making in Post Covid Era

Topics:

  • Inclusion
    • The key to Building Forward Better
    • Overcoming systemic racism
  • Post pandemic 
    • Dealing with social and health inequities amplified during the pandemic 
    • Changing nature of work and cooperation
  • Public engagement 
    • Responses to the science of COVID-19 – lessons learned
    • Misinformation/Disinformation 
    • Public trust in science, especially in the post pandemic world
  • Open Science
    • Towards a multi-sectoral Open Science strategy for Canada
    • Implementing Open Science policies: Issues and considerations 
    • Open Data: Opportunities and risks 
  • Digital media 
    • Democracy and politics in a ‘post-trust’ / ‘post-truth’ / post-pandemic era
  • Science and Post Pandemic Politics, Platforms and Elections 

Topics:

  • R&D/Innovation Ecosystem Restructuring 
  • Canada’s declining R&D/Innovation performance: New ideas to restructure and refund to better meet public needs and ensure Canada’s competitiveness.
  • Towards holistic STI policies: New approaches that “integrate” the capabilities of governments, agencies, academia, and the business sector to meet public needs 
  • Mission-driven STI policies: Missions, moonshots and middle-power magic
  •  Self sufficiency vs. global supply chain 
  • COVID related 
  • R&D/Innovation to meet the challenges of economic recovery in a post-pandemic world 
  • Strengthening Canada’s biomanufacturing capacity 
  • International 
  • Best Global practices in commercializing new knowledge from scientific research 
  • Priority Sectors/Challenges 
  • Sustainable development and the circular resource economy 
  • What should be Canada’s competitive priority: Technology innovation or technology adoption? 
  • Assessing the impact of Disruptive Technologies on Canada’s Job Growth and Economic Development 

Topics:

  • Whither Globalization
    • De-globalization and STI
    • Trade post pandemic 
  • Science diplomacy in post pandemic era
  • International collaboration
    • For COVID-19 recovery 
    • Securing research: Protection of Canadian research; non-state espionage
    • Cyber and data security
    • Global competition / collaboration in space: Science, rules, and regulations
  • International STI developments: Implications for Canada 
    • American Science Policy
    • Horizon Europe 
    • International science and technology agreements 
  • Social Media, international regulations, and citizen rights
  • International knowledge and talent strategy, brain circulation
  • Science and Technology in an increasingly tense global order

Topics:

  • The Talent pipelines
    • Funding, training, and methods of career support for ECRs
    • Diverse career paths to success
    • Reskilling and upskilling top be a leading nation
    • Increasing and measuring EDI 
  • Trainees and challenges of post pandemic work
  • New graduates and new realities 
  • Capacity building
    • The next generation of Indigenous leaders
    • The next generation of innovative tech leaders, e.g. space, AI, cybersecurity cleantech
  • Indigenous led research by Indigenous for Indigenous

Topics:

  • Pandemics and global crises
    • Preparing for future pandemics and states of emergency
    • Lessons from comparative analysis, national and international responses to the pandemic
    • Global inequities in management, e.g., vaccine availability 
  • Canada’s energy policies for a sustainable future
  • Food security 
  • Climate change
    • Climate Adaptation
    • Next steps to Net Zero 
    • Water scarcity and quality 
    • Oceans and sea rise 
  • Advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • One Health: Collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach and working at the local, regional, national, and global levels, recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. (adopted from CDC website). 

Theme 1:  Science and Policy

Topics:

  • COVID related:
    • Hindsight 2020: Retrospective analysis of responses to the pandemic – barriers broken, and lessons learned
    • The UN research roadmap for the COVID-19 recovery – Canada’s next steps
    • Engaging the R&D community going forward
    • Public health surveillance, foresight, and intelligence     
  • STI Policy frameworks
    • Towards holistic STI policies: Approaches that are inclusive of governments, agencies, private sector, academe
    • Beyond the Endless Frontier; Renegotiating the Social Contract between Science, Innovation, and Society 
    • The international research ecosystem/supply chain – opportunities and risks  
    • Policy and regulation of emerging technologies 
  • Government STI structures and policies
    • Federal-provincial/territorial alignment and coordination 
    • Structures for STI advice – e.g., moving from ad hoc panels to permanent advisory bodies
    • Rethinking the competitive funding model – where it works and where it does not
    • Governance and life cycle planning of major research infrastructure/facilities 
  • Indigenous knowledge
    • Integration in evidence-informed decision making
  • Climate change 
    • Carbon management goals: Issues and approaches for agriculture, forestry, food production, manufacturing, and land use 
    • Agriculture: Production, sustainability, and life cycle; precision agriculture
    • Biodiversity and conservation
    • Indigenous communities’ engagement in managing and adapting to climate change   
  • Smart cities and smart infrastructure 
  • Health
    • Regulation and evaluation of public health decisions
    • Digital health
  • Evidence Based Decision Making in Post Covid Era

Theme 2: Science and Society

Topics:

  • Inclusion
    • The key to Building Forward Better
    • Overcoming systemic racism
  • Post pandemic 
    • Dealing with social and health inequities amplified during the pandemic 
    • Changing nature of work and cooperation
  • Public engagement 
    • Responses to the science of COVID-19 – lessons learned
    • Misinformation/Disinformation 
    • Public trust in science, especially in the post pandemic world
  • Open Science
    • Towards a multi-sectoral Open Science strategy for Canada
    • Implementing Open Science policies: Issues and considerations 
    • Open Data: Opportunities and risks 
  • Digital media 
    • Democracy and politics in a ‘post-trust’ / ‘post-truth’ / post-pandemic era
  • Science and Post Pandemic Politics, Platforms and Elections 

Theme 3:  Science, Innovation and Economic Development

Topics:

  • R&D/Innovation Ecosystem Restructuring 
    • Canada’s declining R&D/Innovation performance: New ideas to restructure and refund to better meet public needs and ensure Canada’s competitiveness.
    • Towards holistic STI policies: New approaches that “integrate” the capabilities of governments, agencies, academia, and the business sector to meet public needs 
    • Mission-driven STI policies: Missions, moonshots and middle-power magic
    •  Self sufficiency vs. global supply chain 
  • COVID related 
    • R&D/Innovation to meet the challenges of economic recovery in a post-pandemic world 
    • Strengthening Canada’s biomanufacturing capacity 
  • International 
    • Best Global practices in commercializing new knowledge from scientific research 
  • Priority Sectors/Challenges 
    • Sustainable development and the circular resource economy 
    • What should be Canada’s competitive priority: Technology innovation or technology adoption? 
    • Assessing the impact of Disruptive Technologies on Canada’s Job Growth and Economic Development 

Theme 4:  Science and International Affairs and Security

Topics:

  • Whither Globalization
    • De-globalization and STI
    • Trade post pandemic 
  • Science diplomacy in post pandemic era
  • International collaboration
    • For COVID-19 recovery 
    • Securing research: Protection of Canadian research; non-state espionage
    • Cyber and data security
    • Global competition / collaboration in space: Science, rules, and regulations
  • International STI developments: Implications for Canada 
    • American Science Policy
    • Horizon Europe 
    • International science and technology agreements 
  • Social Media, international regulations, and citizen rights
  • International knowledge and talent strategy, brain circulation
  • Science and Technology in an increasingly tense global order

Theme 5: Science and the Next Generation

Topics:

  • The Talent pipelines
    • Funding, training, and methods of career support for ECRs
    • Diverse career paths to success
    • Reskilling and upskilling top be a leading nation
    • Increasing and measuring EDI 
  • Trainees and challenges of post pandemic work
  • New graduates and new realities 
  • Capacity building
    • The next generation of Indigenous leaders
    • The next generation of innovative tech leaders, e.g. space, AI, cybersecurity cleantech
  • Indigenous led research by Indigenous for Indigenous 

Theme 6:  Grand Challenges 

Topics:

  • Pandemics and global crises
    • Preparing for future pandemics and states of emergency
    • Lessons from comparative analysis, national and international responses to the pandemic
    • Global inequities in management, e.g., vaccine availability 
  • Canada’s energy policies for a sustainable future
  • Food security 
  • Climate change
    • Climate Adaptation
    • Next steps to Net Zero 
    • Water scarcity and quality 
    • Oceans and sea rise 
  • Advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • One Health: Collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach and working at the local, regional, national, and global levels, recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. (adopted from CDC website).