Caplan - Canada at the Summit - (Page 11)

new KNOWLEDGE for a new economy CANADA f we look at Canada’s research enterprise just over a decade ago, what was it like? Many labs were aging and equipment was outdated, researchers rarely ventured outside their field of study and many bright minds were leaving the country seeking better opportunities. But enter any one of Canada’s colleges, universities or teaching hospitals today, and you will see a strikingly different environment — one with researchers working across disciplines and in collaboration with colleagues at home and abroad, equipped with cutting-edge infrastructure, and involved in remarkable research that only a few years ago would have been considered science fiction. This change did not happen spontaneously. According to a recent independent study by KPMG and a panel of internationally renowned experts, the creation and evolution of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has been a driving force in this change. In fact, the experts suggest the CFI has had a ‘‘catalytic role’’ in transforming Canada’s research landscape, and — more than that — they see it as the most successful research funding organization of its kind in the world. In an era when innovation and ingenuity are key to building a strong economy, this evaluation is a remarkable accomplishment for Canada. The Government of Canada created the CFI in 1997 to fund the tools — the modern labs, equipment, databases — researchers need to conduct globally competitive research. Since then, successive governments have recognized the value of the CFI by entrusting it with more than $5.2 billion to invest in research infrastructure in 130 institutions across the country. Because the CFI funds up to 40 percent of any given research infrastructure project, it facilitates unprecedented leveraging of I AT THE SUM MIT support from governments, other research funding agencies and industry. The funding formula has given research institutions across Canada an incentive to engage with these other sectors and has helped them forge collaborations that would otherwise not be possible. This made-in-Canada model has worked beyond expectation. The CFI is an independent corporation that develops programs in response to the needs of the research community as well as the priorities of the nation. Free of political interference, its funding decisions are based on rigorous merit-review processes that allow only the best projects to succeed and ensures the most effective use of public money. Unlike more complicated funding mechanisms in other countries, the CFI has become an efficient “one-stop shop” for federal research infrastructure funding. Today, a country’s economic prospects are closely linked to its research performance. And to be successful, its research must be directly relevant to its needs and national interests. But no single discipline can answer today’s modern research challenges, such as climate change or disease pandemics. The CFI has encouraged the Canadian research community to become more collaborative across institutional, disciplinary and international boundaries — a shift that is now the norm. But most importantly, ask any researcher in Canada about the significance of the CFI to their work, and most will say it has allowed them to think more creatively and achieve outstanding results that are recognized internationally. With the best tools and facilities at their disposal, they have been able to aspire beyond their dreams. And Canada is stronger because of it. Eliot A. Phillipson, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation. www.newknowledge.ca http://www.newknowledge.ca

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Caplan - Canada at the Summit