CIHR's Governing Council agreed that the creation of this committee is the right step for CIHR. In the past few months, a working group, which I lead, has been working to establish this new committee which will be called the Research and Knowledge Translation Committee (RKTC). RKTC will be responsible for all research and knowledge translation decision-making within CIHR in accordance with the CIHR Act and the overarching strategic directions set out by the Governing Council.
The working group has developed the terms of reference for the new Committee, which combines the responsibilities of the previous Governing Council Standing Committee for Oversight of Grants and Awards Competitions (SCOGAC) and the Research Priorities and Planning Committee (RPPC) in one body.
Membership of the RKTC includes:
a) Chair: The President of CIHR
b) 19 voting members:
The transition working group is in the process of developing terms of reference, including membership and mandate, for three RKTC subcommittees. These are:
1. Subcommittee on Programs and Peer Review, which will provide recommendations to RKTC on CIHR's funding tools, funding-related policy, competition planning and oversight, and peer review processes;
2. Subcommittee on Performance Measurement, which will provide recommendations to RKTC with respect to the development, implementation and evaluation of a performance measurement and evaluation system across CIHR's research and knowledge translation activities;
3. Subcommittee on Planning and Partnerships, which will provide recommendations to RKTC on CIHR's overall research and knowledge translation strategy and on a rolling multi-year investment plan designed to deliver on the strategy.
Each Subcommittee will include 5 "internal" CIHR members (Scientific Directors, Vice-Presidents or Directors) and 5 external members. Membership selection will be primarily focused on ensuring the expertise required to fulfill the mandate of the Subcommittee, complemented by a sensitivity to achieving the greatest possible diversity.
RKTC's inaugural meeting was held on February 7-8, 2007. As always, I invite you to share your thoughts on this new phase of development for CIHR by sending your written comments to my office at VPResearch@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Pierre Chartrand, Ph.D.
Vice-President, Research
