Abstract:
Budget 2024 announced improvements to strengthen and modernize Canada’s federal research support system. This includes: significant investments in research, research talent, and major research and science infrastructure; creation of a new capstone research funding organization to provide better coordination across the federally funded research ecosystem and help advance internationally collaborative, multi-disciplinary and mission-driven research; creation of an advisory Council on Science and Innovation to help guide research priorities moving forward; and, a national science and innovation strategy to guide priority setting and increase the impact of federal investments. This session will focus on efforts underway across CRCC member organizations to advance these important modernization initiatives.

Summary of Conversations

The discussion centered on modernizing Canada’s federal research support system, emphasizing the need to build upon existing strengths while adapting to evolving research landscapes. Key themes included fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing international engagement, and aligning research with societal needs. The panel addressed concerns about maintaining academic freedom and supporting investigator-led research. They highlighted the importance of ongoing engagement with the research community to shape the modernization process, including discussions on governance and programming. The conversation also covered investments in research training, Indigenous research capacity, and major research facilities, as well as plans for a unified grant management system and narrative CVs.

Take Away Messages/ Current Status of Challenges

The challenges and insights discussed by the panel highlight key considerations for modernizing the research support system:

• Maintaining Research Excellence: Balancing innovation with the need to preserve and enhance the existing strengths of Canadian research.
• Interdisciplinarity: Successfully fostering collaboration across traditional research domains to address complex societal challenges.
• International Engagement: Enhancing Canada’s international presence and collaboration in science and research.
• Service Delivery: Improving grant management and reducing administrative burdens for researchers.
• Indigenous Research: Ensuring meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities and respecting Indigenous knowledge and research priorities.
• Incentivizing Collaboration: Overcoming competition to stimulate more collaboration within the Canadian research landscape.
• Holistic Approaches: Recognizing the contributions of universities, hospitals, colleges, and federal government departments for comprehensive research.

Recommendations/Next Steps

The panel discussion led to several recommendations and proposed next steps for modernizing the Canadian federal research support system:

• Continued Engagement: Ongoing consultations with the research community to co-develop the modernization plan and ensure its relevance and effectiveness.
• Scaffolding Approach: Focus on building the foundational structure to enable interdisciplinarity, mission-oriented research, and international engagement.
• Strategic Vision: Develop a clear national research strategy to guide investments and align research efforts with national priorities.
• Streamlined Processes: Simplify grant application and management processes to reduce administrative burdens on researchers.
• Inclusive Evaluation Metrics: Broaden research evaluation metrics to recognize a wider range of contributions and impacts.
• Policy Integration: Connecting research with policy mandates across government departments.
• Flexible Funding Mechanisms: Exploring flexible funding mechanisms to support diverse research collaborations and community-based initiatives.