Vision to Action—Canada Research Coordinating Committee releases progress report highlighting major achievements over the past five years

The Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) has released its progress report, Vision to Action: 2018-23. The report illustrates how Canada’s federal research funding agencies, in cooperation with other CRCC member organizations, have developed and aligned innovative new policies and programs over the past five years in the pursuit of shared priorities.

Progress in all priority areas over the five years, highlighted in the report, reflects the commitment of member organizations and the Committee’s experience as a strategic forum, providing advice and direction on key initiatives to meet the changing needs of researchers in Canada and the Canadian research enterprise. The progress report outlines many of the CRCC’s successes over the last five years, including the following:

• Creating a game-changing program—the New Frontiers in Research Fund—widely recognized for driving unprecedented international, interdisciplinary, high-risk / high-reward research.
• Helping broaden member organizations’ relationships with international research funding agencies.
• Promoting measures to inspire and strengthen equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in research, including the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan.
• Supporting a tri-agency strategic plan to advance research by and with Indigenous Peoples.
• Advocating for increased funding for early career researchers (ECRs) and pushing for dedicated funding for them within existing tri-agency programs.
• Providing direction for institutions on a comprehensive research training strategy that meets the diverse needs of students. 
• Serving as a key forum during the pandemic for sharing information and advice among member organizations, federal agencies and international partners.

“CRCC initiatives are inspiring and sustaining an increasingly equitable, connected and innovative research enterprise,” said Ted Hewitt, CRCC chair and president of SSHRC. “At the same time, recognition of these innovative initiatives, and their growing impact, has established the CRCC as a strategic forum for delivering coordinated research policies and programs that benefit Canadians.”

The report’s annexes include data on EDI and ECR initiatives at the three federal research funding agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.