Theme 1 (May): Report of the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System
The Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System that was launched in October 2022 with a mandate to advise the Government of Canada on how to modernise the federal system supporting academic research. The Advisory Panel published its report last March with 21 recommendations to ensure and enhance research excellence in Canada, and to maximise the impact of investments and position Canadian researchers for success.
Theme 2 (June): Canadian Innovation Corporation (CIC): How can it strengthen Innovation?
The Government of Canada has announced the creation of a new innovation agency named the Canada Innovation Corporation (CIC) to encourage business investment in research and development (R&D) in Canada. The CIC aims to to improve Canada’s economic competitiveness at a global scale and provide opportunities for Canadian workers across all sectors by driving innovation and job growth. By working with the private sector, the agency will support R&D investments for sectors that have traditionally not conducted R&D activities to innovate, commercialise, grow, and help Canadian businesses succeed internationally.
Theme 3 (July): ChatGPT and AI-driven Natural Language Processing: Policies, Regulation, Ethics, and Prospects
The natural language processing tool ChatGPT is one of the fastest growing internet applications (100M users within 2 months of launch), with people across the globe leveraging its generative capabilities for various tasks and decision-making across many technology, science, and business sectors. The impact of such models on human society will likely be filled with many opportunities and challenges over the next few years in this AI-driven digital age.
