April 21, 2023 (Ottawa) – HealthCareCAN welcomes a report by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) on advancing clinical trials in Canada, published on April 20 and informed by the perspectives and recommendations of a wide range of health system stakeholders and organizations from throughout Canada’s clinical trials ecosystem.

We are particularly pleased to see many of HealthCareCAN’s recommendations reflected in CIHR’s What We Heard Report on the Future of Clinical Trials, such as the recommendations to expand clinical trial funding to investigators and healthcare units outside of academic institutions to improve access to funding for non-academic researchers, and the need for sustainable funding and training infrastructure for clinical trial programs to enable the retention of highly qualified personnel. These challenges have been long-standing issues for clinical trials in Canada, and it is heartening to see them included in this report.

HealthCareCAN commends CIHR for undertaking this important consultation. The report’s recommendations, critical to building a stronger, more innovative and equitable clinical trials ecosystem in Canada, clearly demonstrate the urgent need to double the Tri-Council budget, along with annual increases that keep pace with inflation and global benchmarks.

We look forward to working with CIHR to support and advance these recommendations and improve health outcomes for people across Canada.

Paul-Émile Cloutier,
President and CEO

HealthCareCAN is the national voice of healthcare organizations, hospitals and health research institutions across Canada. We foster informed and continuous, results-oriented discovery and innovation across the continuum of healthcare. 

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Media contact:

Alexandria Rowe, Communications and Member Services
arowe@healthcarecan.ca
Cell:  613-220-1023