According to an editorial in the August 2002 edition of the Harvard Business Review, "innovation is all about breaking down silos." If our country is to excel in today's economy, we as Canadians must bring together diverse sectors, technologies, ideas and people to drive innovative thinking and transform new knowledge into action. Arguably, health research is among the most convergent of economic sectors. Robotics, genomics, proteomics, nanotechnology, information technology and telecommunications, mathematics, managerial expertise, construction know-how, the humanities, as well as biological, clinical and social sciences are coalescing around the challenges and opportunities presented by human health and the eradication of disease.
Not only is health research driving the convergence of an array of industries- spawning new businesses and career paths-it is also leading to a new understanding of health and disease that will save both lives and money. Research sponsored by the Mary Lasker Charitable Trust in the United States has illustrated that "the development of lithium for the treatment of manic depressive illness results in health cost savings of more than $9 billion annually; that preventing hip fractures in postmenopausal women at risk for osteoporosis saves $333 million annually; and that a 17-year program, which invested only $56 million in research on testicular cancer, has led to a 91-percent cure rate and an annual savings of $166 million."
Health is the largest sector in the knowledge-based economy, making more than $100 billion in expenditures annually and employing thousands of Canadians. Many experts feel health will be the principal driver of economic growth in the 21st century. For example, according to André Marcheterre, President of Merck Frosst Canada & Co., "there is perhaps no other time in history when progress in the health research industries has been so clearly linked to economic prosperity."
The Government of Canada is equally aware of health's crucial economic role. In Follow the Leaders, Canadian Innovation in Biotechnology, 2002, the government observed that: "As the 21st century unfolds, the health sector is emerging as the largest and most important driver of the global economy. the growth rate in health-related knowledge in the century ahead will exceed the growth rate that the information-technology sector experienced in the 20th century. In fact, such predictions are the logical endpoint of the recent convergence of health science and information technology, which is driving recent advances in biotechnology."
In the past, governments were innovative in the promotion of resource and technology-based sectors. Today, governments across Canada invest in research- the foundation of better health, an improved health care system, and an innovative knowledge-based economy. The number of provincial health research agencies has doubled in the past two years alone: British Columbia's Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and the Nova Scotia Foundation for Health Research joining the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. Federally, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) was launched in June 2000. Coupled with other federal investments in research-including the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Canada Research Chairs, and Genome Canada-Canada now has a strong foundation for future growth. CIHR, partner institutions, the provinces and territories, health charities and industry have responded to recent federal and provincial investments in research with new energy and focus. Together, we have aligned our missions to deliver a rich portfolio of programs and initiatives designed to propel the health sector forward and secure Canada's international competitiveness at the vanguard of innovation.
For further information, please contact:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research,
410 Laurier Ave. W., 9th Floor,
Address Locator 4209A,
Ottawa ON K1A 0W9
Tel.: 613.941.2672 Fax: 613.954.1800
E-mail: info@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
