The Council of Science and Technology Advisors (CSTA) is the external advisory body that provides advice to Cabinet on the management of the federal science and technology (S&T) enterprise.  CSTA members are drawn from the academic, private and not-for-profit sectors, bringing to the Council diverse backgrounds and experience. They are appointed by Ministers of science-based departments and agencies (SBDAs) and are drawn primarily from the external science advisory boards that advise these organizations.

The CSTA is tasked by, and reports to, the Federal Cabinet.  Until July 2004, the Council was chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special emphasis on Science and Small Business.

The CSTA was established in 1998 in response to the government's S&T strategy, Science and Technology for the New Century, which identified the need to improve the management and coordination of the large federal investment in S&T and called for greater government reliance on external advice. The Strategy recognized the need to better integrate the diverse array of expert, external advice received by SBDAs and draw these advisors into one body to provide advice on internal, horizontal, federal government S&T issues.

The goal of the CSTA is to improve federal S&T management by examining issues common to a number of government departments and agencies and highlighting opportunities for synergy and joint action. CSTA reports cover a variety of science and technology management topics, from the role of the federal government in S&T, to the effective use of science advice in policy and regulatory decision-making, to the key elements of S&T excellence. CSTA reports to date include:

• LINKS: Linkages in the National Knowledge System
• SCOPE: Science Communications and Opportunities for Public Engagement
• EDGE: Employees Driving Government Excellence - Renewing S&T Human Resources in the Federal Public Service
• STEPS: Science and Technology Excellence in the Public Service - A Framework for Excellence in Federally Performed Science and Technology
• READ: Reinforcing External Advice to Departments
• BEST: Building Excellence in Science and Technology - The Federal Roles in Performing Science and Technology
• SAGE: Science Advice for Government Effectiveness

Secretariat support for the CSTA is provided by Industry Canada. For more information, please contact:

Jennifer Savoie
CSTA Secretariat
Industry Canada
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0H5
Tel: (613) 998-5646
Fax: (613) 996-7887
csta.cest@ic.gc.ca