This Report demonstrates CIHR's essential commitment to transparency and accountability to Canadians by measuring performance and reporting publicly on the value of health research. I appreciate the effort and depth with which the Panel examined all aspects of CIHR, particularly areas of future opportunities for CIHR and Canada's health research community. CIHR's commitment to accountability, an area of highest priority to the Government of Canada, is demonstrated by its commissioning an open review of its first five years of operation by an international panel of the world's leading health scientists and users of health research. It also provides a model of how a review of a research agency can and should be conducted.
This Report is the result of months of preparation culminating in three days of deliberation by a distinguished international, 27-member Review Panel. The Panel was provided beforehand with considerable statistical and other information, a narrative on CIHR's progress, and documentation on the 13 Institutes. In addition, while in Ottawa, Panel members met with more than 100 young and established investigators; senior university officials; partners from the provinces, health sector administrators, health charities, and industry; the Scientific Directors; members of the Institute Advisory Boards; CIHR staff; and government officials.
The Panel applauds CIHR for what has been accomplished to date, noting that Canada is setting an example to the world. Indeed, the decision, in March, to merge the United Kingdom's Medical Research Council and Department of Health Research and Development Unit is testimony to the compelling vision of CIHR.
The Panel's Report provides to CIHR's Governing Council, senior management, the Institutes and the Peer Review Committees independent and international perspectives through which to evaluate issues. The Report also includes, at an appropriately high level, important observations on the future directions CIHR might consider in the next stage of its evolution.
Making changes based on the Panel's observations has implications for CIHR and for health research. Given the complexity of the issues raised by the Panel's observations, we intend to take the time necessary to deliberate and reflect on each of the observations before taking action. We will carefully assess the implications and operationalization of each of the observations, consulting with stakeholders before implementing changes that might have an impact on the research community. These include governance and management, research programs, knowledge translation including commercialization, ethics, evaluation and communications. The Report also comments on the complex funding landscape for health research in Canada.
This process of deliberation will be iterative and will involve discussion, analysis and consultation before we arrive at actions for implementation.
I view the Report as strong confirmation of the broad directions that CIHR set six years ago: to be an inclusive, outcomes-driven organization based on scientific excellence and focused on important health challenges and scientific opportunities. The Panel recognizes CIHR's focus on outcomes, multi-disciplinarity and teamwork as ground-breaking. At the same time, the Panel notes the challenges CIHR faces, given the diversity and differing needs and perspectives of the many research communities across Canada.
The Panel also outlined that governance and accountability will be crucial to the next phase of CIHR's evolution. CIHR's rapid growth, the maturing of its 13 Institutes, and the increased diversity of the funding programs now available for research, training and knowledge translation requires a consideration of the evolving roles of both Governing Council and management . This important observation will be discussed at the retreat being held by Governing Council August 23-25, 2006.
The creation of CIHR's 13 Institutes has unleashed a tidal wave of energy and creativity. The Review Panel commends the performance of the Institutes in galvanizing the research community, developing strategic initiatives and building a new and innovative foundation for the conduct of research. They conclude that it is still too early to comment in detail on the effectiveness and impact of individual Institutes, as data are not yet available. This is reflected in the preliminary nature of the comments contained in the Report's appendices. To acquire a true measure of the 13 Institutes' performance and their contribution to achieving CIHR's mandate, I encourage you to visit each Institute's web site and read the more detailed evaluation reports that were submitted to the Review Panel.
The Panel feels that the energy and innovation of the Institutes should permeate all of CIHR's programs, particularly the Open Grants Competition. Our challenge will be to consider this important observation in a way that ensures that we seize the opportunities noted in the Report, while also ensuring that CIHR's organizational and unifying strengths are enhanced by the content and outreach capacity of the 13 Institutes.
The Panel Report also notes the opportunities for knowledge translation in Canada. There is significant potential in the research that CIHR funds to affect the health of Canadians, strengthen of our health care system and contribute to the economic growth of the country. Knowledge translation will play an increasingly important role in the next phase of CIHR's evolution. Comments are also made in the Report with respect to CIHR's ethics mandate. CIHR is committed to supporting research in ethics and will continue to augment its leadership role in this area.
So what are the next steps? Discussions begin in earnest at Governing Council's August retreat. We are anxious to receive input from the research community, our partners and other stakeholders. This input will start immediately with meetings of Institute Advisory Boards over the next few months. We will solicit initially the views of our Grants Panels on the suggestions in the Report, particularly as they pertain to the role of the Institutes in the Open Grants Competition. This represents over 2,000 members of Canada's health research community.
This Review is a landmark for CIHR and for Canada - in the manner in which it was carried out, in the promise it brings to all those who have helped build this unique organization over the past five years, and in its constructive advice and observations regarding our future.
The Government of Canada is currently developing a framework for science and technology. I believe that the integrity of the review process and the Panel's Report position CIHR and health research well in these discussions.
I again wish to thank Professor John Bell and all the members of the Review Panel, as well as everyone who contributed to their Review, for their participation and perspective.
I am looking forward to discussing this Report with the research community and our other stakeholders as we begin the next stages of CIHR's evolution. We are committed to building a CIHR that will be a model for the world, designed to address the needs and aspirations of the health research community and of all Canadians.
Dr. Alan Bernstein, O.C., FRSC
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
