Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research Workshop III
Executive Summary
A two-day workshop entitled “Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research III” was held in Ottawa in October 2008 to build on the CIHR’s longstanding efforts to improve the health of Canadians by accelerating the translation of research breakthroughs in the physical and applied sciences into biomedical research and clinical practice. The workshop included participation by 52 leading research scientists, was hosted by the Institute of Genetics within the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research, CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health and the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, and included participation by the President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Chair of the Science and Technology Innovation Council (STIC) of Canada, and senior representatives of the CIHR.
The workshop included a keynote address (Dr. Lewis Kay, University of Toronto) and a set of four scientific sessions entitled:
- Challenges in High-Throughput Science
- Novel Integrated Tools and Techniques
- Regenerative Medicine
- Imaging: From Molecules to Tissues and Beyond
that showcased recent and in many cases transformative breakthroughs in health science and medical practice provided by interdisciplinary teams of health, physical and applied science researchers.
The workshop also featured four break-out sessions, each focused on a particular aspect of the functional integration of the physical and applied sciences into health research:
-
Emerging Research Areas & Strategies to Foster Integrated Health Research and Training
- Value and Impact
- Research Programs and Funding
- Clinical and Translational Research
A series of key recommendations emerged from a synthesis of the discussions held over the two-day meeting. These recommendations include:
- Continue to adopt the full vision and recommendations of the white paper of the second "Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research" workshop
- Identify and adopt policies to capitalize on Canada’s greatest strengths and opportunities in convergent health research
- Update and then support the Science Convergence Initiative as a long-term strategic plan for supporting and growing productive health research
- Define a strategic plan for effectively communicating the need and value of convergent science to Government and the Canadian public
- Define effective strategies for driving convergent science
- Exploit the advantages of the integrated health-care system in Canada to maximize the impact of convergent science in translational research
Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research Workshop III
CIHR Consults with Leading Scientists and NSERC to Advance its Mandate to Improve the Health of Canadians by More Effectively Exploiting Research Excellence in the Physical and Applied Sciences
Introduction
A two-day workshop entitled “Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research III” was held in Ottawa on October 3 – 4, 2008 to build on efforts to improve the health of Canadians by accelerating the translation of research breakthroughs in the physical and applied sciences into biomedical research and clinical practice. The recommendations of this workshop follow those in white papers prepared following two previous meetings - the inaugural Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research workshop held in Vancouver in September 2003, and the second workshop on this topic held in Ottawa in June 2006.
Workshop Overview and Motivation
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Genetics (IG) and Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA) in partnership with the Institute of Cancer Research, Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health and Institute of Infection and Immunity convened 52 leading researchers from the physical, applied and biomedical sciences, as well as representatives from the leadership of CIHR, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Science and Technology Innovation Council (STIC), in a focused workshop to:
- Determine key challenges in health and strategies to foster interdisciplinary research and training that engages the physical, applied and biomedical sciences to solve these challenges.
- Establish guidelines and strategies to effectively capture and demonstrate the full impact and value of health research that engages the physical, applied and biomedical sciences.
- Define the current and long-term funding requirements for trans-disciplinary health research in Canada and how funding these areas will impact funding in the core disciplinary strengths of CIHR and NSERC, or in other important interdisciplinary research opportunities.
- Define how the overall funding programs must be organized and the level and nature of inter-agency cooperation required to maximize progress in Canadian health research.
- Define how the clinical and translational component of health research (e.g., rehabilitation sciences, sensors, assistive technologies, clinical imaging technologies) would benefit from an integrated health research program and ways to realize that opportunity.
- Define how scientists can best support the CIHR and NSERC leadership in advocating the need for increased federal funding for basic research and development in Canada.
The workshop showcased recent, and in many cases transformative, breakthroughs in health science and medical practice provided by interdisciplinary teams of health, physical and applied science researchers, including a keynote address by Dr. Lewis Kay (University of Toronto).
The four scientific sessions were entitled:
- Challenges in High-Throughput Science (Computational Biosciences: From Simulation to Analysis
- Novel Integrated Tools and Techniques
- Regenerative Medicine
- Imaging: From Molecules to Tissues and Beyond (Biophotonics: Tools, Applications, Technologies)
The main session of the workshop, entitled “Increasing Joint CIHR and NSERC Research - A Unique Opportunity for Canada” was structured as four break-out sessions, each focused on a particular aspect of the functional integration of the physical and applied sciences into health research. The themes included:
- Emerging Key Research Directions and Strategies to Foster Integrated Health Research and Training
- Value and Impact
- Research Programs and Funding
- Clinical and Translational Research
A series of key recommendations – along with a set of proposed actions - emerged from a synthesis of the discussions held over the two-day meeting.
Agenda and Participants
The workshop organizing committee, mandates of sponsoring CIHR Institutes, agenda and participant list are available in Appendices A, B and C, respectively. Summaries of the content and desired outcomes of the overview sessions and of the four break-out sessions are provided below:
Context: From the First Integrating Workshop to the Science Convergence Initiative
Building on the 2003 white paper drawn from the first workshop hosted by the CIHR Institute of Genetics entitled "Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research", the white paper drawn from the second workshop in 2006 provided a set of recommendations to the CIHR for improving the quality, quantity and overall impact of health research in Canada led by or involving physical and applied scientists. These recommendations were intended to provide CIHR with a framework for accelerating the discovery of transformative medical practice and technology, the translation of those discoveries to the solution of pressing problems in medical science, and the establishment of potent interdisciplinary research clusters capable of delivering breakthroughs in health research. They also encouraged greater investment in two highly successful, but non-recurring, funding mechanisms in this area – the Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) and CIHR strategic initiatives, such as the Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Initiative.
Finally, these recommendations led to the adoption of the Science Convergence Initiative (SCI), a bold proposal that recognizes both that many of modern society’s greatest challenges and opportunities lie at the interface between the biological, physical and applied science disciplines, and that the establishment of a major multidisciplinary research, training and education program could therefore lead to dramatic improvements in the health of Canadians and Canadian industry.
In this session, which was intended to provide context to the objectives of the current meeting, we reviewed the key recommendations made in the 2006 white paper, the initiatives created prior to or in response to those recommendations, and the action and funding history associated with those initiatives. The session concluded with an open discussion on the extent to which the recommendations of the 2006 white paper have remained relevant, the impact and repercussions of the CHRP and CIHR strategic funding programs, and the value of either advancing or abandoning the Science Convergence Initiative.
Critical questions considered in the session and in the overall workshop included:
- Have the 2006 white paper recommendations remained relevant?
- What are the research areas of greatest opportunity? Of greatest importance?
- Can clinical and translational research benefit from a convergent science approach? How?
- How should trans-disciplinary health research be supported in Canada?
- What have we learned from the CHRP and CIHR strategic funding programs? Are changes required?
- How should the funding structure be organized?
- How much inter-agency cooperation is required?
- What are the best mechanisms to ensure research dollars are distributed to achieve the highest impact?
- How do we effectively communicate the need and value of convergent science to Government and the Canadian public?
- Should we advance, refine then advance, or abandon the Science Convergence Initiative?
Messages from CIHR and NSERC Leadership
Invited presentations by Pierre Chartrand (Vice-President, Research, CIHR) and Suzanne Fortier (President, NSERC) provided a clear indication that both funding councils view as a priority the funding of research that integrates the biological, physical and applied sciences to solve pressing societal problems, as well as the establishment of better communication and joint initiatives to secure funding and drive research at these core discipline interfaces.
Both senior leaders emphasized that the Canadian government has over the past decade made very substantial investments in research, technology development and innovation in Canada -- through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Canada Research Chairs (CRC), Indirect Costs of Research Program, Genome Canada, Networks for Centres of Excellence (NCE), and increases to the CIHR and NSERC base budgets. Notably, during this period, there has been an increasing trend towards the concept of matching monies (provincial, industrial). In addition, agencies such as CFI and Genome Canada have fixed timeframes, while others, such as the CRC program, provide long-term salary support but not operating funds. Critical to maximizing the long-term benefits of these various funding streams is achieving an overall balance among three types of investments: infrastructure (facilities, instrumentation: both initial capital and on-going maintenance costs), personnel (principal investigators, trainees, research staff), and operating funds (dollars that fuel the research). Both senior leaders provided their vision for achieving this balance.
A major outcome of the previous white paper was the Science Convergence Initiative, a proposed permanent inter-agency funding mechanism (modeled after the CHRP) with substantial new recurring operating dollars to adequately fund research at the interface between the physical and applied sciences on the one hand and the biological sciences on the other. Both leaders indicated that their Councils have endorsed this initiative. This session therefore provided the national science funding context for our subsequent workshop discussions on current and required Canadian funding vehicles, programs, and initiatives.
Critical questions considered in the session included:
- How should Canadian science funding be structured to maximize value?
- What are the current and future roles of inter-agency programs and cooperation? What should the funding structure look like in 5 years?
- Convincing the Canadian tax-payer to properly support fundamental and applied research requires a compelling vision. What is ours?
- Can we define a reasonable budget for supporting integrative biology research in Canada?
- Is the current grant selection committee/peer review committee structure of NSERC/CIHR effective in selecting and adequately supporting the research programs with the potential to do the best work? Would an inter-agency program be more effective?
- How can growth of overall funding for this type of research be achieved without drawing funds away from other important areas of research? What must we do to make that happen?
Science and Technology Innovation Council (STIC):
Message from the Chairman
Initiating and sustaining truly productive and innovative collaborations and programs that integrate the physical and applied sciences into biological and biomedical research requires an in-depth appreciation of the needs and capabilities of both research communities. It also requires a long-term funding strategy that adequately supports and sustains the research programs and teams with the greatest potential to solve questions and problems of real significance to Canada and society as a whole. In this session Dr. Howard Alper, Chairman of the Science and Technology Innovation Council (STIC), reviewed the overall recommendations of his committee, including the four priority research areas identified by STIC where Canada can leverage research strengths to achieve a competitive advantage: environmental science and technologies; natural resources and energy; health and related life sciences and technologies; and information and communications technologies. The STIC-defined priority area of most relevance to this meeting is that of health and related life sciences and technologies, within which was identified four sub-priorities of national importance: regenerative medicine, neuroscience, health in an aging population, and biomedical engineering and medical technologies.
The entire workshop audience then engaged in a frank and lively discussion aimed at identifying priority research areas, particularly those in health research, that are best driven by an interdisciplinary approach, and then determining the strategies and policies that might be adopted to foster productive interdisciplinary research programs addressing these priorities and the frequency of scientific breakthroughs arising from those programs.
Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences with Biology:
Progress and Challenges to Date
Given the complexity of biological systems, research programs and strategies that integrate different disciplines of knowledge, different types of technology and informatics, and different levels of biological organization are increasingly making the greatest advances in answering previously inaccessible questions of broad significance and application. The potential of this integrative approach to science is therefore clear, but the specific goals of the Canadian integrative-biology research community and the requirements for achieving them are not, though a number of recent strategies and policies are showing great promise as defining examples of how effective integrated science can be conducted.
Over the past decade, the National Research Council (NRC) and most of Canada’s leading universities have aggressively revised their strategic plans to create research centres that promote the convergence of modern life sciences with the physical, mathematical, and applied sciences. Examples of successful multidisciplinary centres designed to address important problems in the life sciences and healthcare include:
- The NRC National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT)
- The Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL)
- The Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR)
- The Centre for Biorecognition and Biosensors (CBB)
These and many related initiatives, combined with Canada’s recent and significant investments in its traditionally strong research base - through the funding of 2000 new chairs in research excellence (the Canada Research Chairs program), through the sharing of the indirect costs of research and development, and through the development of a nationwide network of advanced infrastructure for research (the Canadian Foundation for Innovation) , have positioned our country to become a key driver of this era of unprecedented bio-innovation and to reap the associated economic, health, and social benefits.
However, an essential component is clearly limiting, namely the Federal operating grants that fuel the day-to-day expenses of research. New operating funds are urgently needed to support both innovation through the convergence of research fields, and to support core programs that generate the fundamental knowledge and discipline-specific training needed to establish effective multidisciplinary research teams that will drive Canadian innovation and improvements in healthcare. Significant credit must be given to our two primary national research funding councils, NSERC and CIHR, for recognizing this growing need and freeing up limited resources to establish and support the jointly sponsored Collaborative Health Research Project (CHRP) that currently awards a total of ~$4.5 million per annum to encourage the NSERC and CIHR communities to collaborate and integrate their expertise and research activities, to advance interdisciplinary research leading to knowledge and technologies useful for improving the health of Canadians, and to train highly qualified people in collaborative and interdisciplinary research of relevance to health. This program and a small number of other limited-budget Request for Application-based programs (e.g. the NRC-CIHR Science and Technology Convergence for Health Innovation Partnership, the CIHR New Emerging Team Grants, and the CIHR Invention - Tools, Techniques and Devices for Research and Health Care Grants sponsored by the Institute of Genetics) represent a significant effort on the part of government to support important multidisciplinary research programs aimed at improving Canadian healthcare. Several recent editorials in the journal Nature have focused on these particular issues. For example, "Canada has made good investments in its science infrastructure and its future research leaders.... [urge] the government of the day to boost their country into a position of leadership rather than reluctant follower" (Nature 451, 866 (21 February 2008).
Nevertheless, there currently exists an unprecedented demand for CIHR/NSERC investment in multidisciplinary research projects, technology development, and health research led by or involving physical and applied scientists. For example, in the 2006 CHRP grant competition, 18 applications were funded out of a total of 234 submitted letters of intent, representing a 7.7% rate of success for researchers across Canada requiring operating funds to support new health research based on multidisciplinary teams. This low rate of success clearly threatens the sustainability of multidisciplinary health research programs and initiatives in Canada, as well as our ability to retain our best research scientists and to accelerate breakthroughs in important areas that cannot, at the present time and within existing funding arrangements, be effectively addressed within a single discipline. This growing problem is not only recognized by the participants of this meeting, but also by the Council of the Canadian Academies in their State of Science and Technology in Canada report (ISBN 0-9781778-0-0). They state "There is a paradigm shift under way in the way science is done around the world. Multidisciplinarity is becoming the norm, as illustrated, for example, by the subjects around which the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are organized." It concludes that "Many of the front-line, exciting and innovative areas of scientific investigation as it relates to human health require a multidisciplinary approach that spans both the physical/life sciences and the health sciences. Proposals at the interface of NSERC-funded and CIHR-funded research are increasingly falling between the cracks because neither agency has the mandate or the capacity to adequately respond to and fund such requests." Indeed, the problem is sufficiently threatening to the health and prosperity of Canadians that it is attracting increasing attention from the mainstream media. . From an editorial in the Globe and Mail, (February 1, 2007), David Colman, director of the Montreal Neurological Institute, says” huge investments are being made upfront and then researchers are nickel-and-dimed on operating grants. If the best researchers can't get adequate funding, then the whole funding system is broken and the future of medical research is in peril”, he warns. His frustration is shared by many scientific and business leaders. Similarly a commentary by the past-president of CIHR, Dr Alan Bernstein stated in a Globe and Mail article (May, 23, 2007), “A successful knowledge economy is built on a highly educated work force and a society that is excited about science and understands what research is all about. Science is, quite simply, the best way humanity has devised to solve important problems. Some of the greatest opportunities for economic progress will come from helping the world solve its biggest problems - in human health, energy, the environment, in building sustainable cites. This is how new jobs and wealth will be generated, and well-being for our citizens.”
The power and importance of a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare innovation is not only evident in nanotechnology and its attendant benefits to medicine, but in a wide range of far-reaching areas of life science inquiry, including systems biology, chemical biology, cancer research, regenerative medicine, stem-cell biology, and the technology platforms that support these initiatives in critical ways. Indeed, the four scientific sessions of this workshop reported on a spectrum of powerful new tools for health research emerging in several areas of physical, computational and applied sciences, including exciting new data assembly and modeling strategies for systems biology, bio-imaging and photonics technology for monitoring, manipulating and measuring biological systems, micro-patterned surfaces for manipulating and analyzing cellular systems, next-generation high-throughput platforms for genome sequencing, association genetics, and structural genomics, and finally methods for miniaturization and integration of physical and (bio)chemical processing steps (multilayered soft lithography, micro-fluidics, electro-optical sensing, etc.) to decrease cost and sample volumes and increase throughput.
Recommendations
The future success of Canada depends on the generation of knowledge and on its intelligent application to improve our society and economy. There is an emerging international consensus that the convergence of modern biology and genomics with mathematics, physics, chemistry, and the applied sciences will drive the economy of tomorrow. How Canada responds to the unique opportunity presented by this convergence will unquestionably shape Canada’s prosperity in the coming decades.
A central goal of this third two-day workshop on "Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research" was to provide a set of recommendations to the CIHR and NSERC for improving the quality, quantity and overall impact of health research in Canada led by or involving physical and applied scientists.
These recommendations are intended to provide CIHR and NSERC with a framework for accelerating the discovery of new technology and the rapid adoption and integration of that technology into life science to accelerate the solution of pressing problems in healthcare.
1. Continue commendable efforts to adopt the full vision and recommendations of the white paper of the second "Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research" workshop, all of which remain relevant
The white paper for the 2006 workshop is provided in Appendix D. Key recommendations made in that original white paper include:
- Work with the Government Canada to support the efforts of the Council of Canadian Academies to establish accurate metrics for objectively evaluating contributions to research and return on investment
- Establish and publicly report a long-term strategic plan for supporting and growing productive research that integrates the physical and applied sciences with the life sciences
2. Identify and Adopt Policies to Capitalize on Canada's Greatest Strengths and Opportunities in Convergent Health Research
A competent, objective and comprehensive analysis of the scientific disciplines and areas of technology in which Canada currently excels and can excel due to unique national advantages is essential to the process of setting an appropriate Federal budget for basic and applied research and for identifying those areas where funding of high-calibre research and technology development will have the greatest impact. Areas identified include systems biology, biophotonics, stem cells, bio- and nano-materials, and genomics and high-throughput biology.
Proposed action items to realize this recommendation include:
- Adopt and utilize the Council of Canadian Academies report on the scientific disciplines and technological applications in which Canada currently excels in a global context, or that have the potential to emerge as areas of prominent strength for Canada.
- Connect these areas of strength to the problem areas of highest priority identified by the Science and Technology Innovation Council
- Use these data to develop a compelling unified argument for the value of basic and multidisciplinary research to Canada’s prosperity, industry, health and environment
- Where necessary, relax research partitioning between CIHR/NSERC to accelerate progress in addressing problems of highest priority to Canada
- Define methods to improve collaboration with Industry to accelerate progress. Identify funding mechanisms and Federal policies that are required to maximize company ROI.
- Establish mechanisms to improve communication and rapidly form effective groups/networks capable of providing transformative science in areas of highest priority to Canada
3. Update and then support the Science Convergence Initiative as a long-term strategic plan for supporting and growing productive research that integrates the physical and applied sciences with the life sciences
To effectively compete with other countries who have recognized through major funding initiatives the tremendous contributions that multidisciplinary science will make to society in the coming decades, the CIHR and NSERC, with support from the Government Canada, must act decisively by providing new support, and a new funding paradigm, to fuel the convergence of the modern life sciences (genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology) with the physical (chemistry and physics), mathematical and applied (engineering and computer) sciences, in a comprehensive national research, training and education program. This new funding paradigm is provided by SCI - the Science Convergence Initiative (Appendix D), which is based on the following core concepts requiring action by CIHR, NSERC and the Federal Government:
- Build on the current CIHR vision that many of modern society’s greatest healthcare challenges and opportunities lie at the interfaces between traditional scientific and engineering disciplines
- Build on the success of the CHRP and strategic RFA programs by improving and increasing coordination across agencies and institutes to better manage programs supporting multidisciplinary team-based science
- Continue to support core programs that generate the fundamental knowledge and discipline-specific training needed to establish effective multidisciplinary research teams
- Create joint NSERC and CIHR funding program for Convergent Science ($1 billion total new recurring funds added over 5 years, with funds partitioned to support both basic research in core disciplines and convergent research)
- Establish a sustainable inter-agency program (not a new agency) called the Science Convergence Initiative (SCI) to accelerate breakthroughs in important areas that cannot, at the present time and within existing funding arrangements, be effectively addressed within a single discipline and by the individual funding agencies
- Fund research at all interfaces of life/physical/computational/applied sciences
- Convert (and grow) existing multidisciplinary RFA programs into permanent open-competition programs
- Establish a set of dedicated inter-agency multidisciplinary review panels (4 to 6) and external peer review guidelines to ensure that research dollars are distributed to achieve highest impact
- Retain the concept of open, peer-reviewed competitions
- Include engaging SSHRC into SCI, both for research and to develop message, define role/value of industry, stratifying the program to fully cover the basic research to translational (Clinical)/commercialization (Applied) pipeline, and connecting the review panels and target areas to the STIC S&T Strategy.
4. Define a strategic plan for effectively communicating the need and value of convergent science to Government and the Canadian public
Demonstrating to the Government and the Canadian public the value of convergent science and the benefit of supporting both fundamental and applied research at the interface of the physical and applied sciences with the biological and biomedical sciences is critical to the growth of this initiative. This plan needs to include both streamlining existing mechanisms for promotion and also considering novel strategies that will help promote convergent science.
- Encourage the creation of a university-funded entity to establish accurate metrics for evaluating research funding and ROI.
- Establish an effective advocacy group (University Presidents, Patients, Industry and Hospital CEOs, etc.).
- Drive convergent science initiative by prioritizing and unifying ideas and arguments and engaging Deputy Ministers (Industry, Health), MPs, and members of provincial legislatures. Look to engaging provincial agencies – e.g. Education and Training.
- Work through appropriate channels to encourage the Federal Government to pose questions to STIC to assess the overall balance (people/ infrastructure/ operating grant dollars) and total level of federal research funding in Canada relative to other countries, and to recommend effective funding strategies for convergent research.
- Consider engaging polling/ad agency to drive campaign.
- Create compelling/inspiring arguments
- Focus on Canadian breakthroughs (Discovery of Stem Cells, Cystic Fibrosis gene, others)
- Research creates Preparedness (AIDS/SARS)
- Focus on “How the science of today could not have been done without the investment of yesterday”…
- Recognize the danger of underfunding, using the forest products sector as an example
- Identify and cultivate R&D heroes, personalities, patients. Encourage scientists to be ambassadors of good news stories
- Communicate the message of “Improving Health and Wealth of Canadians through Research”
- Emphasize that research drives training, educates public/ workforce – which in turn will lead to growth of HQP and Canadian industry (soft metrics matter)
- Engage Industry Stars/Hospital CEOs to make message credible and resonate
5. Define effective strategies for driving convergent science
Convergent science in Canada has been supported through initiatives such as CHRP and strategic RFAs initiated by CIHR, both centrally and through the individual institutes, organizations such as CFI, Genome Canada, and NSERC (independently of the CHRP), as well as provincial funding agencies and charitable organizations. There is a need to coordinate these diverse programs in order to optimize the overall ROI of funding in convergent science. Reconciling the differing mandates, timelines, and outcome measures for these programs is a key challenge.
- Launch an RFA for cost-benefit analysis of CIHR and Convergent Science Areas (grow or sustain funding levels as much as possible)
- Properly balance fuel (operating dollars through grants), people, infrastructure in a coordinated, sustainable fashion
- Emphasize that maintenance of large infrastructure initiatives is a critical need
- Consolidate big high-throughput science in a small number of well-funded centres. Identify opportunities for optimization of efforts by creating core facilities at strategic locations. Look at opportunities such as the CFI National Platforms Fund for synergies with convergent science
- Better exploit seed grant programs
- Develop programs for mentoring researchers and Highly Qualified People (HQP) in trans-disciplinary research. Programs such as the NSERC CREATE program may be appropriate models. Look for best practices in other arenas
- Consolidate funding programs driving convergent science
- Increase competitiveness and impact
- Decrease review and administrative burden on the applicants, agencies, reviewers, and recipients.
6. Exploit the advantages of the integrated health-care system in Canada to maximize the impact of convergent science in translational research
As a consequence of our integrated health-care system, Canada has a strategic advantage in promoting, translating into practice, and exploiting convergent science. However, there needs to be a dialogue between the end-users and the research community in terms of research direction, focus, needs and timelines for translation.
- Effectively consult users and patients as to what innovations are required, in what areas, and with what timelines
- Devise incentives for physicians and students/PDFs to engage in translational research and to interface with other disciplines
- Encourage closer ties between clinical and campus-based researchers
- Support full costs of translational research
- Encourage formal linkages between the CIHR-led POP and NSERC-led I2I programs. Are there overlapping mandates for the POP and I2I programs that could be streamlined? Should these translational programs be folded under the umbrella of the CHRP?
Immediate Plan of Action
The intent of this workshop was to provide both the CIHR and Canada with an updated strategy to fully capitalize on the tremendous contributions that multidisciplinary science will make to health and well being of society, including the Canadian people, in the coming decades. In particular, what must the CIHR, with support from Government Canada and in collaboration with NSERC, and the scientific research community of Canada do to fully realize and exploit the convergence of the modern life sciences (genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology) with the physical (chemistry and physics), mathematical and applied (engineering and computer) sciences, in a comprehensive national research, training and education program that positions Canada as a leader in health research? The recommendations provided in this white paper point to the need for coordinated action involving the Canadian research community, senior administration of research universities, CIHR and Canada’s tri-council of funding agencies, and government.
Here, we provide recommendations for an immediate plan of action for each of these essential partners in Canada’s health research enterprise:
- Canada’s community of researchers, including physical and applied scientists, focused on providing advances in human health and medical practice
- Provide feedback and contributions to the Science Convergence Initiative
- Establish a website for the Science Convergence Initiative to inform the public and to provide a conduit for feedback
- Form a leadership board for the Science Convergence Initiative comprised of at least two leading health-related researchers from each of Canada’s top eight Universities.
- Working with both University Presidents and the leadership of Canada’s tri-council of funding agencies, formulate the questions that need to be posed to government (Industry Canada) and, through it, to the Science and Technology Innovation Council (STIC)
- Work with University leadership to establish a unified and comprehensive plan for supporting Canada’s research enterprise that seeks to maximize innovation and return on investment by properly balancing the need for infrastructure and human resources with the direct and indirect funds required to operate internationally competitive research programs
- Promote this plan through communication of its value to members of Parliament, the media, and the Canadian people
- University Presidents and Senior Administration
- Provide feedback and contributions to the Science Convergence Initiative
- Work with both the Science Convergence Initiative leadership board and the leadership of Canada’s tri-council of funding agencies to formulate the questions that need to be posed to government (Industry Canada) and, through it, to the Science and Technology Innovation Council (STIC)
- Establish local committees to provide guidance on University operations and departments can be reorganized to fully realize and exploit the convergence of the modern life sciences with the physical, mathematical and applied sciences.
- CIHR and NSERC
- Provide administrative support to assemble and mine data relevant to science convergence funding issues
- Work together to establish an expanded interagency program that maximizes impact in funding at the interface between the physical and applied sciences and the health and biological sciences.
Appendix A
Workshop Organizing Committee
Yves De Koninck
Université Laval
Charles Haynes
University of British Columbia
Philip Hieter
University of British Columbia
Christopher Yip (Chair)
University of Toronto
Host Institutes
CIHR Institute of Genetics (IG)
IG supports research on the human and model genomes and on all aspects of genetics, basic biochemistry and cell biology related to health and disease, including the translation of knowledge into health policy and practice, and the societal implications of genetic discoveries.
CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA)
INMHA supports research to enhance mental health, neurological health, vision, hearing, and cognitive functioning and to reduce the burden of related disorders through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.
Partnering Institutes
CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
ICR fosters research based on internationally accepted standards of excellence, which bear on preventing and treating cancer, and improving the health and quality of life of cancer patients.
CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH)
ICRH supports research into causes, mechanisms, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with the heart, lung, brain (stroke), blood, blood vessels, critical care and sleep.
CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III)
III supports research to enhance immune-mediated health and to reduce the burden of infectious disease, immune-mediated disease, and allergy through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.
Appendix B
Workshop Agenda
Integrating the Physical & Applied Sciences into Biomedical Research Workshop III
October 3-4, 2008
Marriott Hotel, 100 Kent Street, Ottawa
Hosted by the CIHR Institute of Genetics (IG) and the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA) in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH) & CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III).
| October 3, 2008 | ||
| 8:15 am - 8:30 am |
Welcoming & Introductory Remarks (including overview of the meeting structure)
|
Victoria North Ballroom |
| 8:30 am - 8:45 am |
Context: From the First Integrating Workshop to the Science Convergence Initiative
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|
| 8:45 am - 9:40 am |
Messages from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
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| 9:45 am- 10:00 am |
Break | |
| 10:00 am - 11:45 am |
Scientific Session I: Challenges in High-Throughput Science
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| 11:45 am - 12:30 pm |
Lunch |
|
| 12:30 pm - 2:15 pm |
Scientific Session II: Novel Integrated Tools and Techniques
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|
| 2:15 pm - 2:30 pm |
Break | |
| 2:30 pm - 3:50 pm |
Scientific Session III: Regenerative Medicine
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| 3:50 pm - 4:10 pm |
Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC)
|
|
| 4:10 pm - 4:25 pm |
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)
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| 4:25 pm - 5:30 pm |
Increasing Joint CIHR and NSERC Research - A Unique Opportunity for Canada Strategic Discussion Break-Out Groups (a) Emerging key research directions & strategies to foster interdisciplinary research and training that engages the physical, applied and biomedical sciences
(b) Impact and value
(c) Research programs and funding
(d) Clinical and translational research
|
|
| 5:30 pm - 5:40 pm |
Wrap-up & Overview of Workshop Day One |
|
| 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm |
Dinner & Keynote Address
|
Victoria South Ballroom |
| October 4, 2008 | ||
| 8:00 am - 9:35 am |
Scientific Session IV: Imaging: From Molecules to Tissues and Beyond
|
Victoria North Ballroom |
| 9:35 am - 9:50 am |
Break | |
| 9:50 am- 11:15 am |
Strategic Discussion Break-Out Group Reports
|
|
| 11:15 am - 12:25 pm |
Strategic Break-Out Group Summaries & Wrap-Up Co-Chairs: Charles Haynes (University of British Columbia) & Yves De Koninck (Université Laval) |
|
| 12:25 pm - 12:30 pm |
Closing Remarks & Adjournment
|
|
Appendix C
Participant List
ADEWOYE, Lateef
Team Leader, Policy and Programs
Human Safety Division
Health Canada
AHLGREN, Jennifer
Institute Project Officer
Institute of Genetics
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
ALPER, Howard
Chair, Science, Technology and Innovation Council
Industry Canada
ANDREWS, Brenda
Director, Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research
University of Toronto
ANDREWS, David
Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences
McMaster University
ARROWSMITH, Cheryl
Senior Scientist
Ontario Cancer Institute
BABYN-BAENA, Mary
Executive Assistant and Project Manager
Institute of Genetics
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
BILODEAU, Pierre
Director, Bio-industries
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
BISBY, Mark
Consultant, Ottawa
BLAIN, Isabelle
Vice-President
Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
BLEACKLEY, Christopher
Professor
Department of Biochemistry
University of Alberta
BOUDREAU, Denis
Professor
Department of Chemistry
Université Laval
BRAY, Judith
Assistant Director, Institute of Cancer Research & Institute of Infection and Immunity
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
BROWN, Leonid
Associate Professor
Department of Physics
University of Guelph
BRUNETTE, Isabelle
Associate Director
Department of Ophthalmology
Université de Montréal
BUTZ, Vicky
Head, Submission Office
Submission and Knowledge Management Division
Health Canada
CAMPBELL, Robert
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Alberta
CHAN, Warren
Associate Professor
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto
CHARTRAND, Pierre
Vice-President, Research
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CLAPIN, David
Branch Science Advisor
Health Products and Food Branch
Health Canada
CÔTÉ, Daniel
Professor
Neurophotonics Center and Neurophysics Program
Centre de Recherche Université Laval Robert Giffard
CRAMB, David
Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Calgary
DANCEY, Janet
Program Leader
High Impact Clinical Trials
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
DANILCZYK, Ursula
Assistant Director
Institute of Genetics
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
DE KONINCK, Yves
Professor
Department of Psychiatry
Université Laval
DESLAURIERS, Roxanne
Director, Research
Institute for Biodiagnostics
National Research Council Canada
DOYON, Julien
Scientific Director
Functional Neuroimaging Unit
Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal
DUBOWSKI, Jan
Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Université de Sherbrooke
DUTCHER, John
Professor
Department of Physics
University of Guelph
FORTIER, Suzanne
President
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
FRADIN, Cecile
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
McMaster University
FREUND, Michael
Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Manitoba
GALLANT, Pascal
Group Manager, Materials
Institut National d'Optique (INO)
GOMBOS, Zoltan
Assessment Officer
Central Nervous System Division
Health Canada
GRAY, Michael
Professor
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dalhousie University
GRÜTTER, Peter
Professor
Department of Physics
McGill University
GUENTHER, Axel
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Toronto
HALL, Christopher
Professor
Department of Environmental Biology
University of Guelph
HANSEN, Carl
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of British Columbia
HAYNES, Charles
Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
University of British Columbia
HENKELMAN, Mark
Professor
Department of Medical Biophysics
University of Toronto
HIETER, Philip
Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories
Department of Medical Genetics
University of British Columbia
JESSOP, Eileen
Portfolio Manager, Bio-Industries
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
JOHNSTON, Randal
Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Calgary
KAERN, Mads
Assistant Professor
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
University of Ottawa
KAY, Lewis
Professor
Departments of Medical Genetics, Biochemistry,
and Chemistry
University of Toronto
KRULL, Ulrich
Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Toronto
LÉGARÉ, François
Professor
Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications
Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)
LENNOX, Bruce
Professor
Department of Chemistry
McGill University
LONGTIN, André
Professor
Department of Physics
University of Ottawa
MAIN, Robert
Senior Director
Life Sciences Industries Branch
Industry Canada
MARCOTTE, Eric
Associate Director
Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Initiative
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
MARRA, Marco
Director
Genome Sciences Centre
British Columbia Cancer Agency
MCINNES, Roderick
Scientific Director
Institute of Genetics
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
MEALING, Linda
Assistant Director
Institute of Aging
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
MENON, Ravi
Professor
Functional and Molecular Imaging
Robarts Research Institute
MICHNICK, Stephen
Professor
Department of Biochemistry
Université de Montréal
MOFFAT, Jason
Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular Genetics
University of Toronto
MORRIS, Quaid
Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular Genetics
University of Toronto
MURPHY, Kieran
Vice-Chair
Department of Medical Imaging
University of Toronto
PAIGE, Matthew
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Saskatchewan
PEZACKI, John
Scientific Leader
Biochips for Diagnosis and Understanding of Human Diseases
National Research Council of Canada
PIRET, James
Professor
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
University of British Columbia
RACHUBINSKI, Richard
Professor
Department of Cell Biology
University of Alberta
RASTEGAR, Majid
Drug Evaluator
Human Safety Division
Health Canada
ROBERTSON, Stephanie
Assistant Director
Institute of Genetics
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
RUTENBERG, Andrew
Associate Professor
Department of Physics
Dalhousie University
SHOICHET, Molly
Professor
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto
SIDHU, Sachdev
Associate Professor
Banting and Best Department of Medical Research
University of Toronto
SILVERMAN, Mel
Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Toronto
SWEENEY, Marion
Institute of Genetics
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
THOMAS, David
Profesor
Department of Biochemistry
McGill University
VAN BEEK, Jac
Vice President, Programs and Planning
Canada Foundation for Innovation
VERES, Teodor
Group Leader, Functional Nanomaterials
National Research Council Canada
VERMETTE, Patrick
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Université de Sherbrooke
WAYNER, Dan
Director General
Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences
National Research Council Canada
WILSON, Brian
Head, Division of Biophysics and Imaging
Ontario Cancer Institute
WISEMAN, Paul
Associate Professor
Department of Physics
McGill University
WITHERS, Stephen
Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of British Columbia
WOODSIDE, Michael
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
University of Alberta
YIP, Christopher
Professor
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering University of Toronto
ZOCHODNE, Douglas
Professor
Department of Clinical Neurosciences
University of Calgary
Appendix D
Integrating the Physical and Applied Sciences into Health Research II