Strengthening the Foundations of Canadian Research

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HealthCareCAN recognizes the crucial role that research hospitals and health research play in Canada’s future. Research hospitals are where the promise of health research meets possibilities for patient care. They are also the practice homes of clinician scientists cross trained in basic science and in clinical care.

Making the Case for Canadian Research

The reality is that science and health are tremendous economic drivers, and you don’t talk about that enough

.André Picard, Columnist, Globe & Mail @ 29.09 min.

Our Clarion Call

Research hospitals are essential partners. It is time to level the playing field and allow them to compete directly for infrastructure and innovation funding. Canadian hospitals and healthcare organizations are only asking that they be able to contribute on equal footing, with the same advantages provided to other sectors.

Action Required

HealthcareCAN strongly recommends that the Federal Government immediately implement a minimum floor of 25% funding with respect to the Research Support Fund – whose mandate is to support indirect costs for research.

research
funding

Research hospitals are few, but mighty

There are ~40 research hospitals in Canada, who collectively house a $2.6B research enterprise.

Research hospitals are the only group of innovation leaders showing net growth in 2015-2016.

Many research hospitals have some of Canada's largest contingents of discovery scientists.

They build & strengthen national & global relationships

They are staunch supporters of every medical & doctoral university in Canada.

Many research hospitals have multiple overseas collaborations.

Research hospitals are noted as the most collaborative research sector in the economy.

Realizing the Canadian Advantage in the Health & Life Sciences

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This submission answers the questions posed by the Canada’s Science Review Panel referencing three common themes, and includes 13 recommendations to truly maintain our tradition of success and achieve the Canadian Advantage in the health and life sciences.

Themes:

  1. Strategic coordination
  2. Strategic investment
  3. Strategic policy

HealthCareCAN Recommendations

1

Reduce pressure on the current CIHR budget

By implementing an Innovation Fund that would cover the more applied aspects of the CIHR Act, without creating new machinery.

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2

Create a more explicitly inclusive research ecosystem

One that rewards excellence wherever it is found, allowing research hospitals to apply directly to all federal research and innovation funds and programs, and explore a credentialed research hospital system.

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3

Provide an immediate increase of $120M per year to the A base budget of CIHR

(in addition to the $30M committed in Budget 2016), with the view to restoring the lost ground since 2010.

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4

Reconsider Government’s current practice

Of formulaic adjustments to the base budgets of the tri-council granting agencies in favour of a more integrated needs-based approach.

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5

Review CIHR governance

To ensure that there are adequate checks and balances in the decision making and a closer relationship to the broader community including research hospitals

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6

Implement the Chief Science Officer role

With sufficient authority to oversee the development of a Science Strategy and coordinating and integrating mechanisms across funding bodies.

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7

Implement the following 2 points

(1) a strategic coordination mechanism and (2) a whole of government approach to the health and life sciences in part through a health and life sciences roundtable.

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8

That the federal government undertake a funding flow study

To understand how its granting council dollars are being leveraged.

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9

Revisit the current Federal Support for Research Programs

To assess an internationally competitive coverage rate of indirect costs and allow research hospitals to apply directly.

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10

Restore a healthy sustainable CIHR budget

and explore implementation of the recommendations stated by the Association of Early Career Health Researchers to assist this group.

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11

Ensure that there is “right sizing” of the university-granting council relationship

when it comes to the intake, training and incentive structure for graduate students and post docs.

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12

That universities and granting councils engage in right sizing the system discussions

to ensure that peer review success rates are reasonable and that pilots be developed to allow peer review for novel and more risk-laden research endeavours.

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13

Encourage greater strategic and operational coordination

between CFI and the granting councils; consider innovation conducted using traditional technologies as a fundable area of infrastructure; and explore the possibility of extending maintenance coverage beyond five years.

The Advisory Panel on Federal Support for Fundamental Science

We fully support the recommendations made by the Advisory Panel on Federal Support for Fundamental Science in its report “Investing in Canada’s Future – Strengthening the Foundations of Canadian Research”. We urge the federal government to act on the direction given by the Panel.

Among the 35 recommendations submitted by the panel, were:

Legislation to create an independent National Advisory Council on Research and Innovation (NACRI).

Working closely with Canada’s new Chief Science Advisor (CSA), the new council would raise the bar in terms of ongoing evaluations of all programming.

Wide-ranging improvements to oversight and governance of the four agencies.

This includes the appointment of a coordinating board chaired by the CSA.

Significant reinvestment.

To be undertaken on a multi-year basis.

New spending.

To be balanced across:

  • investigator-led research operating grants (the highest priority);
  • enhanced personnel supports for researchers and trainees at different career stages;
  • targeted spending on infrastructure-related operating costs for small equipment and Big Science facilities; and
  • enhancement of the environment for science and scholarship by improved coverage of the institutional costs of research.

A cumulative base increase to move annual spending in steady-state across the four agencies and closely related entities.

From approximately $3.5 billion to $4.8 billion.

HealthCareCAN Twitter Campaign

Op-eds & columns in support of the Naylor report

Related reading

HealthCareCAN intensifying push for federal health supports

June 25, 2020

Honouring the Victims of COVID-19 by Reforming Canada’s Health Care System - By Paul-Émile Cloutier

June 18, 2020

HealthCareCAN advocates for Health Research at HoC Finance commitee meeting

May 21, 2020

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May 15, 2020

Feds announce up to $450 million in aid for research, after sector warned of up to 15,000 job losses

May 15, 2020

Trudeau announces aid for non-COVID-19 medical researchers, halting thousands of layoffs across Canada

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COVID-19 brought Canada’s medical research to a halt. Thousands face layoffs this week

May 13, 2020

"Canada's research councils will likely see 10,000 to 15,000 jobs lost in the next few weeks if they are not granted access to some form of federal support."

May 7, 2020

The End of the Beginning: What We’ve Already Learned about Pandemic Response - By Paul-Émile Cloutier

May 5, 2020

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Soins intensifs : la deuxième vague de COVID-19 pourrait tester les limites du système - Interview with Paul-Émile Cloutier

April 27, 2020

An open letter to the federal government on the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare-based research institutes

April 21, 2020

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April 10, 2020

All non-COVID19 research and clinical trials at hospitals suspended or cancelled due to funding crunch

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Entrevue avec Paul-Émile Cloutier : En 2006, le Canada avait un plan en cas de pandémie. Que s'est-il passé? (French)

April 9, 2020

Canadian hospitals getting 'creative' to expand COVID-19 care facilities - Interview with HealthCareCAN's Paul-Émile Cloutier

April 1, 2020

HealthCareCAN calls for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to include Canada's health research community

March 31, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic puts Canada’s supply of ventilators in the spotlight - An interview with HealthCareCAN's Paul-Émile Cloutier

Global News | March 17, 2020

COVID-19: Interview with our President & CEO, Paul-Émile Cloutier on health system preparedness

CBC News - The Current | March 16, 2020

First Ministers must come together on plan for Canada’s health system

HealthCareCAN Press Release | March 12, 2020

If the coronavirus escalates further, would Canada’s hospitals be able to handle an influx of people? - An interview with our President & CEO, Paul-Émile Cloutier

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Coronavirus could infect 35 to 70 per cent of Canadians, experts say

March 10, 2020

Hospitals warn they can’t cope if coronavirus outbreak worsens in Canada

March 6, 2020

HealthCareCAN & Bruyère Continuing Care appear before the Standing Committee on Finance

February 7, 2020

Federal government commitment to strengthen health care must begin now

December 5, 2019

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November 21, 2019

The future of health in Canada is now

November 6, 2019

Looking for ideas on what SHOULD be part of next week’s election debates?

October 3, 2019

Cloutier: In this federal election, let's talk about funding health infrastructure

September 16, 2019

Green Healthcare: The Missing Piece in Canada’s Climate Response

HealthCareCAN's 2020 Pre-Budget Brief | August 15, 2019

Infographic: An Innovative Federal Approach to Health Care

October 30, 2018

Unlocking the economic potential of the health and life sciences sector

HealthCareCAN's 2019 Pre-Budget Brief | August 3, 2018

Letter to the Council of the Federation on funding eligibility for hospitals through the Infrastructure Bilateral Agreements.

July 4, 2018

HealthCareCAN commends federal government for investing in science and research

February 27, 2018

Shattering the ‘Solitudes’: Health Research, Innovation and Canada’s Economy

HealthCareCAN's 2018 Pre-Budget Brief | August 4, 2017

Realizing the Canadian Advantage in the Health and Life Sciences

HealthCareCAN's Brief to Canada’s Science Review | September 30, 2016

Capturing the Canadian Advantage: Health and the Economy

HealthCareCAN's 2017 Pre-budget Brief | August 5, 2016

Why does CIHR need enhanced funding support?

H10 on the Hill Event | February 24, 2016

Driving Innovation in Healthcare - An Engine for Economic Growth and Prosperity

Speaking Notes for 2016 Pre-Budget Meeting with Minister of Finance | January 20, 2016

Overcoming the ‘Canadian condition’ through innovation

Vancouver Sun | January 19, 2016

Clinician Scientists in Canada: Supporting Innovations in Patient Care Through Research

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada | December 1, 2015

What action is needed for health research and innovation?

HealthCareCAN | October 16, 2015

Why does Canada need an Innovation Fund?

HealthCareCAN | October 15, 2015

What does the media tell us about the impact of health research?

HealthCareCAN | October 15, 2015

How does the public feel about health research?

HealthCareCAN | October 15, 2015

Health research: Some of the year’s most remarkable achievements

Hospital News | October 1, 2015

Crumbling Hospital Infrastructure Threatens the Care of Canadians

June 16, 2015

Poll Report: Canadians' expectations of the healthcare system

Ipsos Reid Poll Commissioned by HealthCareCAN | June 1, 2015

What are the winning conditions for Science, Technology and Innovation?

HealthCareCAN Fact Sheet | November 25, 2014

Driving Innovation and Service Excellence in Healthcare

HealthCareCAN's 2015 Pre-budget Brief | August 6, 2014

Moving Forward in Science, Technology and Innovation, Optimizing Opportunity & Execution in the Health & Life Sciences Sector

A response to the Science and Technology Consultation “Seizing Canada’s Moment Moving Forward in Science, Technology and Innovation” | February 7, 2014

Focus & Alignment : The Research Priorities of Canada's Academic Healthcare Organizations

Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations | February 21, 2012

Building the Future: Physical plant needs across Canada’s Academic Healthcare Organizations

Hospital News | February 1, 2011

Three Missions, One Future - Optimizing the Performance of Canada’s Academic Health Sciences Centres

AHSC National Task Force | May 10, 2010

From Microscope to Marketplace: Spin-Off Companies in Canada from ACAHO Member Institutions

Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations | May 18, 2008

Eureka! World’s First Discoveries and Other Major Medical Breakthroughs in ACAHO Member Institutions

Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations | March 28, 2008

Moving at the Speed of Discovery: From Bench to Bedside to Business

Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations | November 18, 2007

Questions? Comments?