1. Research Canada’s 2016 Annual General Meeting
A dialogue on issues of common interest
Opening Remarks
Thank you for inviting me to speak on behalf of CIHR.
First, let me praise and thank Research Canada for its ongoing effort to promote the importance of health research to improve health outcomes of Canadians and ensure the sustainability of our healthcare system.
Your engagement with Parliamentarians, including through the important Health Research Caucus contributes to positioning research in decision-making and in the development of new policies.
I would also wish to thank your organization for advocating for sustainable budget increases to CIHR.
Your work contributed to informing the federal government of the necessity to reinvest in health research, which led to a new federal investment of $30 million per year to CIHR - the highest amount of new annual funding for discovery research in more than a decade.

2. Outline Budget 2016 and looking ahead Canada’s Health Accord
Review of Federal Support for Fundamental Research
CIHR’s relationship with the research community

3. As a part of the 2016 Federal Budget, the Government of Canada provided CIHR with an additional $30 million per year.
“This new investment will be entirely dedicated to the ongoing and future Project Grant competitions with a focus on early career investigators.”
Open letter from Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR, to Canada’s health researchers,
April 2016 3

4. Looking ahead - CIHR’s budget erosion due to inflation
CIHR’s investments in constant dollars
As many of you have acknowledged, since , CIHR’s budget has decreased in terms of purchasing power.
Competition year 4
Note: Data includes annual investments of $45 million announced in Budgets 2015 and 2016
Source: CIHR Internal database

5. A highly competitive funding environment
As our budget decreased, application pressure has increased, leading to lower success rates.
Pressures faced by the health research community are largely due to financial challenges…not the reforms
We have heard a number of concerns regarding the review system, our engagement with various parts of the health research enterprise, and competition outcomes. Some stakeholders have asked for a time-out on further changes to CIHR programs which we have agreed to.
We have also heard from some stakeholders on a desire to openly discuss alternatives for future health research funding with the wider community of researchers, possibly at a summit later this year – and I am pleased to see HealthCareCAN and partners take the lead in organizing this year.
We also must be cautious not to intertwine the reforms changes with the fiscal pressure we are under. True, when CIHR first set out in 2009 and consulted with many of you or your predecessors, no one could have anticipated the funding pressure ahead.
Simply put, many of our challenges today can only reasonably be addressed through a significant injection of cash. And in this regard, I would like to acknowledge and thank your communities for clearly and consistently signaling underlining how investments must change to keep pace with the excellent applications we receive, year-over-year. 5
Source: CIHR Internal database

6. Canada’s Health Accord
Last January, Minister Philpott initiated discussions with her provincial and territorial counterparts on the development of a new Health Accord.
F/P/T Health Ministers identified the following health priorities to be addressed under a new Health Accord:
Home Care
Mental Health services
Affordability, accessibility and appropriate use of prescription drugs
Health Innovation
Minister Philpott recognizes the importance of research evidence to address these priorities

7. Review of Federal Support for Fundamental Research
Objectives
Assess opportunities to increase the impact of federal support on Canada’s research excellence and the benefits that flow from it;
Determine the rationale for current targeting of granting councils’ funding and bring greater coherence to the diverse range of federal research and development priorities and funding instruments;
Assess the support for promising emerging research leaders; and
Ensure there is sufficient flexibility to respond to emerging research opportunities for Canada, including big science projects and other international collaborations.
The comprehensive review brings an opportunity to promote greater coherence in a research support system that is currently very fragmented.
This includes ensuring a good balance between investments in training, infrastructure, institutional costs and operating support
It also includes a coherent life sciences strategy that fully integrates CIHR’s research efforts and consolidates the fragmentation and complexity of health research support through multiple organizations in Canada.
The comprehensive review also brings an opportunity to ensure that researchers have the flexibility to pursue innovative ideas and to leverage our capacity to translate research results into clinical practice and healthcare decisions.
Finally, an opportunity exists to continue harmonizing processes and policies amongst the federal granting agencies to reduce complexity and alleviate researchers’ burden.
There is also an opportunity to ensure that jointly managed Tri-Council programs are accessible to all types of interdisciplinary research.

8. CIHR’s relationship with the health research community
Enhanced engagement and dialogue.
The why, the how, acknowledgement of the impact
Renewed commitment to evaluation of the reforms in 2019
Accelerated external review of the Peer Review process in 2017
Community feedback adopted
Application process changes
Separate stream for early-career researchers in Foundation Grant competitions
Increased transparency going forward
A focus on timely information & data sharing
A commitment to shared understanding
What would Research Canada have CIHR focus on? 8