I. Identifying the problems

• Shifting funding from basic research• Defunding politically inconvenient research• Obscuring the defunding• Stacking granting council governing boards• Changing granting council priorities• Diverting resources to “stars”• Muzzling experts• Directing public science for private profit• Promoting undue corporate influence in university

research

Shifting away from funding basic research

Funding for Canada’s Granting Councils

Granting Council base funding, 2007-2015 (constant 2010 dollars, millions)  

Source: SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR Departmental Performance Reports, Reports on Planning and Priorities, Budget 2014

2014-15 2007-15 SSHRC 383.7 358.1 368.1 359.4 355.6 351.5 348.9 343.5 -10.5%NSERC 1057.9 1051.5 1042.3 1050.2 1030.8 1018.9 1015.2 1011.4 -4.4%CIHR 1017.8 989.8 1020.1 1026.9 953 969.4 947.7 941.6 -7.5%Indirect costs 327.9 335.7 330.9 324.9 322.6 318.9 315.0 320.4 -2.3%Total 2787.2 2735 2761.5 2761.4 2662.1 2658.7 2626.8 2616.8 -6.1%

2012-13 2013-14 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

SSHRC Funding, 2007-15

2007-8

2008-9

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

2010 constant dollars, millions

NSERC Funding, 2007-2015

2007-8

2008-9

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

980 990 1000 1010 1020 1030 1040 1050 1060 1070

2010 constant dollars, millions

CIHR Funding, 2007-15

2007-8

2008-9

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

880 900 920 940 960 980 1000 1020 1040

2010 constant dollars, millions

Defunding politically inconvenient research

Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL)

Experimental Lakes Area

Obscuring the defunding

Stacking granting council governing boards

NSERC Council

Biologists - 0 Chemists - 0 Physicists – 0 Mathematicians - 0 Engineers - 6 Administrators - 3 Others - 2

SSHRC Council

Humanities Languages & Literature - 0 Classics – 0 Visual Arts – 0 Performing Arts - 0 Philosophy - 1 History – 1

Social Sciences Sociology – 0 Anthropology – 0 Psychology – 0 Criminology – 0 Education – 0 Law – 0 Political Science - 0 Archeology - 1 Business - 4 Economics – 2

Others Corporate – 2 Centraide Montréal– 1 Administrator - 1 Trades - 1

CIHR Council

Medicine – 3 Psychiatry - 1 Surgery – 1 Health Administration – 3 Corporate – 3

Caprion Proteomics Pfizer Barclays Capital Canada

Other – 1 Télé-Québec

Other health care professions - 0

Changing granting council priorities

Less support for open research

Source: NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC Departmental Performance Reports, Federal Budget 2012-13

SSHRC Investiga-

tor-framed

research

NSERC Discov-

ery Grant

CIHR Open

Operating Grant

0.0 50.0 100.0 150.0 200.0 250.0 300.0 350.0 400.0 450.0 500.0

82.3

342.5

438.0

90.4

378.8

428.4

Granting Council open research programs (constant 2010 dollars, millions)

2007-08 2012-13

Declining success rates

Granting Council competition results 2006-07 2013-14

    Fundable Funded Fundable Funded

SSHRC Standard Research Grant/Insight Grant 80% 40% 65% 21%

NSERC Discovery Grant   - 73% - 59%

CIHR Open Operating Grant 66% 21% 73% 16%Source: SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR

Fettered funding within Granting Councils - NSERC

Source: NSERC Departmental Performance Reports, Report on Plans and Priorities 2014-15*Estimate

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15200

300

400

500

389370 369

347 354358*

359*

268 270283

340323

356* 346*

Discovery Grant versus Fettered Research funding (constant 2010 dol-lars, in millions)

Unfettered

Fettered

$21.8-million for the Engage Grants program:

The Engage Grants Program “is supporting short-term research and development projects aimed at addressing a company-specific problem in the natural sciences or engineering fields.”http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/RPP-PP/Engage-engagement_eng.asp

Engage Grant Program

Source: NSERC

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13$0

$5,000,000

$10,000,000

$15,000,000

$20,000,000

$25,000,000

$1,393,159

$11,553,631

$17,797,604

$21,809,176

Engage Grant Program(2010 constant dollars)

“Working with the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to develop an effective Concierge Service for business that includes the expertise within the postsecondary research community:

“In 2013-14, NSERC will work with IRAP to assess and implement tools to link the expertise base within the NSERC systems with the new Concierge Service system being developed under the leadership of IRAP.”

http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/Reports-Rapports/RPP-PPR/2013-2014/index_eng.asp#s2.1.3

NSERC: Report on Plans and Priorities 2013-14

NSERC Spending Priorities

  Actual spending Projected spending % Change

  2010-2011 2014-2015 2010-2015

People: Research Talent 357.8 276.0 -22.9%

Discovery: Advancement of Knowledge 470.7 394.2 -16.3%

Innovation: Research Partnerships 294.8 369.2 25.3%

Total 1,123.2 1,039.3 -7.5%

In millions, 2014 dollars. Source: NSERC 2013-14 and 2014-15 Report on Plans and Priorities

Solicitation: No. S13-14426 Date: 2014-01-30

Strengthening Research Partnerships between Post-Secondary Institutions and Industry

“The overall goal of this project is to enhance the engagement of industry partners in research partnerships related to the social sciences and humanities as per SSHRC's key commitment in 2013-14 following the Budget 2013.

“Achievement of this goal will result in:o an increased awareness of opportunities for partnerships between

post-secondary institutions and industry involving the social sciences and humanities;

o an increased number of grant applications for projects that involve industry partners;

o an increase in the average number of industry partners involved per application; and,

o strengthened partnerships between post-secondary institutions and industry.

Strengthening Research Partnerships between Post-Secondary Institutions and Industry

 “3.2 Definitions of "industry" and "postsecondary institution" For SSHRC, "industry" is defined as 'a for-profit organization, or an organization that assists, supports, connects and/or represents the common interests of a group of for-profit, incorporated organizations, such as an industry association or a formal or informal consortium.' The scope of this definition allows SSHRC to bring a variety of industry-focused organizations together with the best researchers and graduate students to add value to the Canadian business environment.”

https://buyandsell.gc.ca/cds/public/2014/01/31/0c2aaa01db028666cb4c67c9b061aa9b/rfp_s13-14426_e.pdf

Diverting resources to “stars”

$10,733,333 was spent on 9 NSERC Canada Excellence Research Chairs in 2010-11 That would have supported 339 researchers with

Discovery Grants and reversed the decline in success rates since 2006

$17,833,333 was spent on 13 NSERC CERC Chairs in 2011-12 That would have supported an additional 545

researchers with Discovery Grants that year

Muzzling experts

Muzzling Government Scientists

Dr. Kristi Miller,Head, Molecular Genetics, Department of Fisheries and Oceans

2008 Federal Government Media Protocol: "Just as we have one department we should have one voice. Interviews sometimes present surprises to ministers and senior management. Media relations will work with staff on how best to deal with the call (an interview request from a journalist). This should include asking the programme expert to respond with approved lines."

Muzzling Academic ResearchersProf. Andreas MuenchowAssociate ProfessorGraduate College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware

DFO Publication Review Committee Procedures: “All journal articles…must be submitted to your Division Admin for review and approval prior to being submitted for publication. Publication review procedures apply to all submissions where a DFO Science staff member is an author (whether the single author, or one of multiple co-authors)."

Directing public science for private profit

National Research Council to 'refocus' to serve business

CBC News Posted: Mar 6, 2012 1:58 PM ET 

“Canada's national government research and development agency is being transformed and ‘refocused’ into a service that providesSolutions for businesses, Canada's Minister of State for Science and Technology announced Tuesday.

“Gary Goodyear says he envisions the National Research Council becoming a ‘concierge’ service that offers a single phone number to connect businesses to all their research and development needs.”

Setting political priorities for university research

Budget 2013 All of the new funding for the granting councils ($37-million) to

support “research partnerships with industry through the granting councils, including $12 million to enhance the College and Community Innovation Program”

Budget 2007 $37 million for NSERC, targeted to research in energy, the environment and information and communications technologies. $11 million for SSHRC, targeted to research in management,

business and finance.

Budget 2008 NSERC - $34 million per year for collaborative research directly

contributing to the knowledge & innovation needs of Canada’s automotive, manufacturing, forestry and fishing industries.

SSHRC - $12 million per year for research contributing to a better understanding of how the environment affects the lives of Canadians and of the social and economic development needs of northern communities."

II. What we need to do• Educate the public about basic research

• Building pressure to Increase core funding of the granting councils and for government science

• Protect the integrity and independence of scholarly research• Make the granting councils arms-length• Fund research on the basis of scientific and scholarly importance,

as determined through peer review not political preference• Stop the muzzling of scientists and other academic professionals –

their duty is to the public, not to the minister of the day• Create a non-partisan Parliamentary Science Officer • Adopt a sound science policy for Canada

• Enforce principled standards for university collaborations• Make graduate programs affordable & pay postdocs properly

III. Some steps we are taking• Dedicated web site [ GetScienceRight.ca ]

• Interactive map cataloguing cancelled and “at risk” projects• Video testimonies and on-line submission forms• Email & petition tool

• Local town halls and regional forums – for researchers to talk with the public about what’s happening and what it means

• Report on university – industry collaborations

http://www.caut.ca/docs/default-source/academic-freedom/open-for-business-(nov-2013).pdf

• Reports on granting councils’ priorities and practices • Database of researchers and scientists to facilitate advocacy

Concluding Comment from Others

nature editorialChanges to Canadian science raise questions that the government must answer

“Governments come and go, but scientific expertise and experience cannot be chopped and changed as the mood suits and still be expected to function. Nor can applied research thrive when basic research is struggling.”

Nature 487, 271–272 (19 July 2012)http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v487/n7407/full/487271b.html

“What we need are those creative people to be left to do creative things just for the hell of it … this is the game changer that forms the raw material for industry to capitalize.”

- Speech at the Perimeter Institute, 2003

Mike LazaridesFounder, Research in Motion