The Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Major Science Initiatives Fund

1. The Canada Foundation for Innovation’sMajor Science Initiatives Fund 4th NSF Large Facilities Operations Workshop Tallahassee, FL, April 19-21, 2011

2. 1997 – A TURNING POINT IN CANADA • The challenge: • Ageing research infrastructure • Brain drain • Context: • Federal budget surpluses • The Response: • ‘Innovation agenda’ • Key strategy: invest in higher education research

3. Some elements of the research landscape Granting Council Programs CIHR NSERC SSHRC KIP (2008-11) Genome Canada NCE CECR (2008-) BL-NCEs (2008-) Special Prog. CRC CERC (2008) Faculty/ Researcher Banting (2010-) Vanier (2009-) eCGS (2009-) Students Canada Foundation for Innovation LEF NIF CIIF LOF MSI IOF 3

4. CANADA FOUNDATION FOR INNOVATION • Funds R&D infrastructure in Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions • Provides 40% of infrastructure costs (with remainder provided by provinces, institutions and private sector); • Institutions are the applicants and owners of the infrastructure • Reliance on institutional strategic planning • Awards based on merit and excellence

5. FUNDING DISTRIBUTIONSince 1999: 7,102 projects at 132 institutions Award size # Awards CFI total investment <1M 6,499 $1,144,674,757 1M-10M 547 $1,895,250,121 10M-20M 40 $525,474,254 >10M 59 $1,383,995,782 total 7,102 $4,423,920,660

7. TOTAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT ›

8. PARTNER CONTRIBUTIONSTO CFI-FUNDED PROJECTS – 1997-2009 Voluntary associations $99 million 3% Private sector firms $1.1 billion 20% Government of Canada departments/agencies $201 million 3% Provincial governments $2.9 billion 50% $1.4 billion 24% Institutions, trust funds and foundations Other $99 million 2%

9. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE • Equipment • Specimens, Scientific collections • Computer hardware and software • Information databases • Including housing and installations essential for use and servicing

10. CFI OBJECTIVES • Strengthen Canada's capacity for innovation; • Attract/retain highly skilled research personnel in Canada; • Promote networking, collaboration, and multidisciplinarity; • Ensure the optimal use of research infrastructure • “…creating the necessary conditions for sustainable, • long-term economic growth, including the creation of • spin-off ventures and the commercialization of discoveries, • and supporting improvements to society, quality of life, health, • the environment, and public policy.”

11. MEETING FEDERAL S&T PRIORITIES • Environmental science and technologies; • Natural resources and energy; • Heath and related life sciences; • Information and communication technologies; • 80% of CFI-funded projects and 85% of CFI funding • have gone to these four areas.

12. MERIT-BASED REVIEW CRITERIA • Institutional commitment • Management plan • Need for infrastructure • Operations & maintenance plan • Training • Collaboration Strengthening innovation EXCELLENCE Quality • Social • Economic • Environmental • Health Benefits to Canada • Ideas • Researchers • Need for infrastructure

13. CFI PROGRAM STRUCTURE Aims: • To be flexible and responsive to needs of research community; • To have a structure based on consultations and strategic priorities; • Operates at the pace of implementation, not annual budget cycles.

14. CFI PROGRAM STRUCTURE Open national competitions: Leading Edge Fund & New Initiatives Fund Targeted national competitions: College-Industry Innovation Fund & Automotive Partnerships Canada Fund Attraction/Retention of Talent: Leaders Opportunity Fund Support for Operations: Infrastructure Operating Fund Major Science Initiatives Fund

15. CFI STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS • Fostering research strengths and investing in areas of national priority • Encourage partnerships for inter-sectoral convergence and knowledge transfer • Ensure long-term sustainability of S&T capacity, with a specific emphasis on the sustainability and operations of large-scale science facilities • Capturing and communicating social, economic and environmental impacts.

16. Major Science Initiatives Fund: What? -Addresses a set of leading-edge scientific problems or questions of such significance, scope and complexity that it requires: unusually large-scale facilities and equipment substantial human resources, and complex operating and maintenance activities. -Typically too large to be funded exclusively by any one organization and have a life cycle extending over many years. 16

17. Major Science Initiatives Fund: Why? -Significant ($25M+)CFI investments (plus federal and provincial) in a small number of major science initiatives (MSIs) -Long standing and ongoing challenge for MSIs to secure sufficient operating and maintenance costs to fully exploit their capabilities -Institutions have relatively little experience in managing and leading major science initiatives 17

18. Major Science Initiatives Fund: Who? 18

19. Major Science Initiatives Fund: How $185M over 2012-17; covers 40% of total O&M needs Current and potential funders are/remain involved Initial assessment: demonstrated need for O & M funding, advanced governance and management, scientific excellence and potential benefits to Canada Oversight framework: Promote the adoption of best practices in governance and management Mid-term assessment: ability to maximize scientific and technological capabilities 19

20. Some of our challenges First program of its kind in Canada! Key success factors Work with multiple funding partners (federal, provincial, private sector…) Integrated review and oversight process Oversight: what, how, and how much is enough? O&M budget… projections… or predictions? Little institutional experience in managing MSIs Realize the potential of our MSIs; exploit their capabilities to the fullest 20