Canada Research Coordinating Committee releases its 2023-24 Annual Progress Summary

July 17, 2024

The Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) has released its annual progress summary. The summary illustrates how Canada’s federal research funding agencies, in cooperation with other CRCC member organizations, have developed and aligned innovative new policies and programs in the pursuit of shared committee priorities, as they have done since 2018. These priorities are as follows. The progress summary outlines key recent accomplishments in each area:

Interdisciplinary, international, high-risk/high-reward research

The agencies launched the New Frontiers in Research Fund in 2018 to drive unprecedented international, interdisciplinary, high-risk / high-reward research. This game-changing program brings many CRCC initiatives together by incorporating measures to advance equity, diversity and inclusion, and support early career researchers as well as Indigenous and international research. It has also served as a platform for innovations in research program design and delivery.

International cooperation

To position Canadian researchers as valuable partners in global research and innovation, the agencies adopted a common framework for international cooperation and, since the COVID-19 pandemic, have met with the executive heads of foreign funding agencies to advance international cooperation through collective and agency-specific initiatives.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Recognizing that research is best when diverse perspectives shape the way questions are defined and pursued, the agencies signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and introduced measures to enhance equity, diversity and inclusion in the research enterprise:

• To increase fair access to research funding, the agencies took steps to identify and mitigate systemic barriers, including revising procedures, providing training and publishing guides.
• To promote equitable participation, the agencies worked with postsecondary institutions to draft and promote the Dimensions Charter and Dimensions pilot phase and program handbook, and provided targeted support to smaller institutions.

Indigenous research

To advance reconciliation and help build Indigenous research capacity, the agencies are working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to develop and support new models for Indigenous research and research training. These collaborations have resulted in:

• a strategic plan codeveloped in partnership with Indigenous communities, and the establishment of an Indigenous Leadership Circle in Research to oversee its implementation;
• creation of a Reference Group for the Appropriate Review of Indigenous Research; and
• engaging Indigenous communities in identifying a path forward on Indigenous citizenship and membership affirmation.

Early career researchers

To better recognize the unique needs of early career researchers, the agencies allocated funds for them within each agency’s flagship program, proportional to their representation in the applicant pool. They also created 250 new Canda Research Chairs for emerging scholars.

Research talent for a knowledge-based society

The agencies are working on a comprehensive strategy to better support research training, with appropriate funding levels, to help institutions attract and prepare a diverse population of students and postdoctoral fellows for careers in and outside academia.

COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee served as a forum for sharing information and advice among member organizations, federal agencies and international partners. The agencies mobilized to advance rapid-response research, oversee the Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund and fast-track communication between government and the academic sector.

Annexes

The progress summary will include data annexes reflecting the results of equity, diversity and inclusion and early career researchers initiatives at the three federal research funding agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. These will be published at a later date.

For more information:

Email: CRCC-CCRCMedia@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca