News Release
The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is pleased to announce that it has been asked by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to examine how funding agencies around the world are supporting research and what Canada can do to apply leading practices at home in a rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected environment.
Science and engineering research has changed dramatically in the 40 years since NSERC was founded. New fields of research have emerged, interdisciplinary research and international collaboration have grown rapidly, and technological advances continue to reveal new avenues of inquiry. This assessment will consider what other funding agencies are doing to support research in the natural sciences and engineering, how these agencies are evolving in response to emerging scientific trends, and how leading funding practices could be applied in Canada.
“This project provides a timely opportunity to take stock of what we know about the best approaches for funding this important area of scientific research,” said Eric M. Meslin, PhD, FCAHS, President and CEO of the CCA. “We look forward to providing NSERC with the latest evidence, and new insights, to inform their support for future research in Canada.”
A multidisciplinary expert panel will be appointed in the coming months to examine and interpret the evidence and provide insight that can inform policy and practice in Canada.
The report will be available in spring 2021.
The Question: What is known about successful practices for funding natural science and engineering (NSE) research internationally, and how could such practices be applied to funding for NSE research in Canada?
Sponsor: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council