Organization: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

New appointees to CIHR Governing Council

The Governing Council of Canadian Institutes of Health Research has announced six new members appointed by Health minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor.

New coordinating committee established to align granting councils and CFI

Ottawa has announced a new coordinating body that aligns the three federal granting agencies—the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)—and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Liberals enact new measures pushing for greater diversity in science

The Liberal government is pushing for more diversity and inclusion in science and engineering, even to the point of threatening to cancel some funding to universities that don’t support the agenda. At the recent Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) held in Ottawa, Science minister Kirsty Duncan announced a number of initiatives to encourage equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

New science committee set up to coordinate funding agencies

Ottawa has announced a new committee that will coordinate and support the efforts of research funding agencies to make sure that researchers get the most from the government. The new Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) will coordinate among three federal granting agencies—the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research…

Pressure grows to increase support for fundamental research, tie funding levels to demand

Canada’s support for fundamental research has fallen by a third between 2005 and 2015, but many in the Canadian research community are concerned the federal government doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to take action. The deterioration in federal support — occurring over a period closely corresponding to the decade in which the government of Stephen Harper was in power — witnessed a major swing in funding from fundamental to applied research, with 40% of researchers reporting a similar shift in their focus.

R$ talks with Dr. Rebecca Keiser — NSF international chief pursues new collaborations with Canada

President Donald Trump intention to slash key areas of his government’s research spending is inadvertently providing an incentive for new research collaborations between the United States and Canada.
The president’s fiscal 2018 budget, unveiled earlier this year, proposed massive cuts for climate science, medical research and energy projects across government, including major granting organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency. Despite a reprieve in early May when Congress voted to mostly maintain current budgets for the rest of 2017, it’s uncertain whether the axe can be avoided again in 2018.

Basic science needs better oversight and coordination, and more money: Expert panel

R$ talks to David Naylor

A federally commissioned blue-chip panel calling for greater coherence and financial support for fundamental research has made a series of 35 recommendations, including a $1.3-billion increase in the budgets of the three granting councils, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and related entities over the next four years.

Feds and BC government fund new SUPPORT Unit

The federal and British Columbia governments are investing $80 million over five years in cash and in-kind for a BC Support Unit for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials. Half of the federal funding ($40 million) will be provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research with matching support from the BC government. The BC…

Panel to examine CIHR’s awarding of research grants

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research has launched an international Peer Review Expert Panel to examine the design and adjudication process of its investigator-initiated funding program. Headed by Dr Peter Gluckman, chief scientific advisor to the prime minister of New Zealand, the panel will base its deliberations on peer review literature and international best practices.…