Realizing the CIHR Vision: A Message To All Canadian Researchers
Recent Governing Council (GC) decisions, made at its meeting on January 15-16, 2001, clearly demonstrate CIHR's commitment to transform Canada's research enterprise, provide the health research community with innovative ways to conduct research, and involve Canadians from diverse backgrounds in shaping CIHR and the Canadian health research agenda.
The growing portfolio of funding programs possible under CIHR also attest to GC's commitment to maintain and strengthen investigator-initiated research, as well as to develop multi-disciplinary and strategic thrusts that are both integrative and innovative.
With 29 large scale multi-disciplinary projects approved for funding under the CAHR and IHRT programs, we have taken another major step in turning the vision of CIHR into reality. These projects embrace a broad spectrum of health disciplines, with over 500 investigators and partners in 91 institutions across Canada and internationally. They will work together to address important questions spanning a wide array of health issues, including health promotion, injury and children, community genetics, chronic illness in rural communities, diabetes among Canada's aboriginal populations, addiction, autism and genetic susceptibility to breast and colorectal cancer.
Building capacity in the four pillars of health research is another cornerstone of the CIHR vision. In our first complete round of competitions, more research is being funded, more than 400 researchers from all four pillars are added to CIHR's cadre of health researchers and, with the strategic initiatives to be launched by Institute Scientific Directors, many more funding opportunities will be available over the next 12 months.
In a few weeks, we will be announcing the composition of the 13 Institute Advisory Boards (IABs). This important new element of the CIHR constellation will bring health research closer to all our communities. That alone is a clear signal of the transformation taking place. The IABs will bring together outstanding researchers from Canada and abroad, representatives from the voluntary and private health sectors, federal and provincial governments, and concerned citizens, to advise the 13 Scientific Directors and CIHR, in their pursuit of answers to pivotal health questions.
I am very impressed with the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of our 13 Scientific Directors. They have already gelled into an outstanding team and will unquestionably provide great leadership as we develop this new approach and structure to research. We expect that Institute-initiated Requests for Applications will be posted during the summer of 2001, for fall competition deadlines, with funding to start in winter 2002.
Most importantly, Canada now has a robust and research-driven mechanism for initiating national discussions around the setting of priorities and the development of critical mass in research. Our challenge is to develop these strategic priorities with the full and broad input from the entire health research community, and to balance the clear need to broaden and deepen investigator-initiated research with the opportunity to develop national strategic initiatives.
I believe firmly that these two broad approaches will be mutually supportive: excellent multi-disciplinary teams require outstanding individuals who see a clear and promising career path in research. And similarly, I have no doubt that a strong, vibrant, and internationally competitive community of health researchers will increasingly require responsive programs that encourage and catalyze the formation of groups of investigators from diverse disciplines to collaborate on highly focused problems.
To be successful, these national priorities must be built upon a strong research foundation. Our priorities must be bold in their vision and potential impact, and inclusive of researchers with widely different perspectives and expertise. These priorities must also yield important results that will have an impact on the future direction of research and the health of Canadians. As well, they must truly reflect the views of both the research community and the Canadian public.
CIHR's Institute structure, along with its broadly representative IABs and full consultation processes with all communities, provides a unique pathway to set national research priorities that will enhance and enrich investigator-initiated work.
If we get it right, and establish the right balance between investigator-initiated and strategic research along with the right process to develop the right initiatives, I am convinced that we will be able to create a robust, exciting and innovative research environment that will make Canada the "place to be" for health research in the 21st Century.
I wish all those who were successful in these competitions good luck in your research. Letting Canadians know of your successes in research benefits all of us, and I therefore encourage you to tell Canadians about your research.
As well, I am pleased to welcome the 210 IAB members from across Canada to CIHR's team.
Should you have any questions or comments, as always, I welcome them.
Alan Bernstein, Ph.D., FRSC
