Tag Archives: cihr

Shiny, happy, oblivious science

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Ghoussoub

by Dr. Jim R. Woodgett The government of Canada released a budget on April 19th, 2021, the first for two years. It was, as anticipated, a high spending, deficit projecting budget that clears the ground for pandemic recovery with its centre … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

NSERC has lost its bearings … again

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Ghoussoub

The last time I used this title was in 2012. Canada’s Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) had grown embarrassed by the dwindling success rate in its postdoctoral fellowship program, the latest having clocked in at 7.8%. So, Suzanne Fortier, … Continue reading →

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Canada has two ministers of Science, yet Budget 2017 barely mentions Science

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Ghoussoub

University researchers across Canada are stunned and puzzled. What happened to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promises to undo the damage that the Harper years inflicted on the nation’s research capacity? The Liberals campaigned to end the “war on Science,” yet they … Continue reading →

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Reform(atting) the Canadian Institutes of Health Research – a living autopsy

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Ghoussoub

Last year, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), which is the primary federal funding agency of health research in Canada, embarked on a bold and wide-ranging series of reforms that change virtually every aspect of how health research funding … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , | 46 Comments

Why Canada’s research granting councils mean so little to this government’s agenda

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Ghoussoub

NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR, Canada’s main granting agencies in support of university research are not doing well. Their total absence from Budget 2015 is only one of many symptoms indicating how tired they are. Tired are their ways in trying … Continue reading →

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Budget 2014 is nothing short of a paradigm shift for Canada’s research and innovation

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Ghoussoub

The substantial investment in university research that the Canadian government announced today is not the only story in Budget 2014. A bigger story may be the pivotal moment and the policy shift that it represents for this government on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

R&D front: Signs that government may be starting to get it

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Ghoussoub

And no, I am not sending out a public bouquet to government à la Naylor-Toope. I am talking about a government that is starting to realize that it’s more important to tune into the dreams and aspirations of Canada’s research community than to … Continue reading →

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First reactions to the NSERC cuts

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Ghoussoub

On the heels of the cheery press releases of the presidents of NSERC and CIHR regarding the 2012 federal budget, announcements about the fate of various programs are now coming out. They all start with, “As part of the Government of … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

US republicans more supportive of science than …

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Ghoussoub

…. their counterparts in the democratic party! I know, I know, you have all been eagerly awaiting “the deficit reduction action plan” of Canada’s three research councils. You will surely not get it from the “rosy” picture portrayed in the messages of … Continue reading →

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Turmoil at the Tri-council?

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Ghoussoub

The VPs-Research of all universities across Canada have been invited to a Tri-Council meeting “around Research and Innovation” in Ottawa. Officials are being very tight-lipped about the content of the meeting, which is scheduled for April 13th. What is it … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

It may be crunch time for the Presidents of Canada’s Research Councils

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Ghoussoub

The government will continue to make “key investments in science and technology” that are necessary to sustain a “modern competitive economy,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Davos today. He then added, “but we believe that Canada’s less-than-optimal results for those investments is … Continue reading →

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