Panel 3: The Future of Scientific Collaboration between the European Union and Canada

Nipun Vats is the Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Research Sector, at the Department of  Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. In this role, he is responsible for leading the  development of federal policy and investments in post-secondary research.

Dr. Vats has held a variety of positions within the Canadian federal government, including in the Privy  Council Office and the Department of Finance, and as Secretary to a National Advisory Panel on  Sustainable Energy Science and Technology. Dr. Vats also served as the lead federal official in the  successful negotiation of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

Dr. Vats holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Toronto, a B.Sc. in Physics from  Dalhousie University, and a Master’s of Public Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs,  Princeton University, with a specialization in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy.

Robert Asselin is a recognized expert on innovation, economic growth, and industrial strategy with extensive experience in senior roles within government as well as in academia.

He is currently CEO of U15 Canada, an association of fifteen research universities across Canada, dedicated to advancing research and innovation, and developing highly-qualified leaders for the benefit of Canadians.  Prior to this role, he served as Senior Vice President, Policy at the Business Council of Canada where he led the Council’s work on economic and fiscal policy.

Asselin brings over a decade of experience advising at the highest levels of government, having served as Policy and Budget Director to Canada’s Minister of Finance and as a senior advisor to two Prime Ministers. In addition, he spent nearly a decade in academia, notably as Associate Director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa and as Visiting Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. He currently serves on the advisory board of the U.S. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.