HRI Portal – health • research • innovation

  • About Us
    • About Research Canada
    • Sponsors
    • Contact
  • Information on Health Research
    and Innovation in Canada
    • The Current State of Health Research
      and Innovation in Canada
    • Research and Innovation in Action
    • CanadaSpeaks! 2019
    • Patient Stories
    • What’s Being Said:
      Blog and News
  • Resources for
    Advocates
    • Advocacy Messages
    • Tips for Effective Advocacy
      • Quick Tips for Effective Advocacy
      • Meeting with Candidates: Policy Questions and Answers
      • Using Social Media for Advocacy
      • Maximizing Your Impact: Town Halls
    • About Your Candidates
    • Advocates’ Toolkit
  • Resources for
    Candidates
    • Information on Health Research and Innovation
    • Candidate Survey

Information on Health Research and Innovation in Canada

Voir en Français
  1. Home
  2. › Resources for Candidates
  3. › Information on Health Research and Innovation in Canada

The Current State of Health Research and Innovation in Canada

Budget 2018 ushered in an unprecedented investment into Canada’s research ecosystem.[1] This nearly $4 billion commitment recognizes the central role of the Canadian research enterprise in driving economic growth, innovation, and producing a highly skilled workforce. While encouraging, this investment is only the start in correcting years of health research underfunding.

Health research is a key priority for Canadians. A robust ecosystem of research and innovation underpins the Canadian healthcare system, long considered a source of national pride. Canada’s research efficacy, however, has eroded in recent years when compared with international peers.

Canada at the international table

Worldwide, we are no longer in the top 30 nations in terms of total research intensity. Canadian gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) relative to GDP has been declining slowly over the last 15 years, as contrasted to many other nations, and while Canada has the highest higher education expenditures on R&D (HERD) among the G7, the federal share is much lower than other countries at just 23%.[2] Long-standing insufficient investments into health research have led to tangible negative impacts, hampering innovation and development.

Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Gross domestic spending on R&D

Supporting Canada’s health researchers and innovators

Both priority-driven and investigator-led research are critical elements of a dynamic and robust research ecosystem. Since 2000, support for priority-driven and patient-oriented research has steadily increased among the tri-councils, but these investments have not been matched with adequate growth in investigator-led funding for Canada’s frontline scientists,[3] leaving many researchers in Canada struggling to find funding for the health research projects that can lead to innovative health solutions. To illustrate, granting success rates at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have declined from nearly 42% in 2000 to just 15% in 2018.[4] Bolstering support for investigator-led research is essential to redress the previous funding imbalance and promote an innovative health research ecosystem.

Doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows are integral to the advancement of health research and innovation in Canada. Federally-administered core graduate awards set a bar for Canada’s funding and quality of trainees. The number of federally-administered core graduate awards, however, has not increased since 2007, despite major increases in graduate and fellowship enrollments,[5] and early-career investigators have seen a similar drop in their success of obtaining CIHR project grants.[6] Moreover, while Budget 2019 did include additional funding for fellowships and scholarships, the value was insufficient for the system’s needs and it failed to include post-doctoral fellows as the beneficiaries of this investment. Direct enhancements to these federal awards will realize multiple returns, sending the message that Canada values and supports health research trainees.

Source: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Funding for Canadian health research and innovation

Canada spends only 1.6% of total public expenditures on health to fund health research.

Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information. National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975-2018

Funding for Canadian health research and innovation – continued

Compared to our research hospitals and health and biosciences companies, Canada spends very little of public expenditures on health to fund health research.

Federal and provincial/territorial governments spend
1.6%
of total health expenditures on health research.
Canada’s top 40 research hospitals spend a median of
7.6%
of total hospital spending on health research.
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on Canada’s top 100 Corporate R&D spenders spend a median of
12.8%
of total revenues on R&D.

Many of Research Canada’s Members, Supporters and Partners are among the top research hospitals and health and biosciences companies supporting health research and the development of innovative health products.

Sources: Research Infosource Inc. Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals 2018 and Canada’s Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders 2018; Canadian Institute for Health Information. National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2018

Into the Future

Further efforts are sorely needed to ensure Canada reverses its previous course, propelling Canadian health research and innovation into a globally competitive space.

[1] Government of Canada, D. of F. Canada’s Budget 2018. (2018). Available at: https://www.budget.gc.ca/2018/docs/themes/progress-progres-en.html.

[2] Advisory Panel on Federal Support for Fundamental Science. Investing in Canada’s Future: Strengthening the Foundations of Canadian Research. (Government of Canada, 2017).

[3] Advisory Panel on Federal Support for Fundamental Science. Investing in Canada’s Future: Strengthening the Foundations of Canadian Research. (Government of Canada, 2017).

[4] Government of Canada, CIHR Project Grant: Fall 2018 results – CIHR. (2018). Available at: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/51312.html

[5] Advisory Panel on Federal Support for Fundamental Science. Investing in Canada’s Future: Strengthening the Foundations of Canadian Research. (Government of Canada, 2017).

[6] Government of Canada, CIHR Project Grant: Fall 2018 results – CIHR. (2018). Available at: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/51312.html

Research and Innovation in Action

CanadaSpeaks! 2019

Patient Stories

What’s Being Said: Blog and News

  • Age Well
  • Shift Health
  • Pediatric Chairs of Canada | Directeurs de pédiatrie du Canada
  • Children’s Healthcare Canada | Santé des enfants Canada
  • CAMH
  • Lady Davis Institute
  • Bausch Health
  • CHÉOS: Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences
  • Université Concordia University
  • Roche
  • Diabetes Canada
  • AstraZeneca
  • Innovative Medicines Canada - Médicaments novateurs Canada
  • McMaster University – Brighter World
  • Canadian Nurses Foundation
  • Consumer Health Products Canada
  • Merck
  • The Canadian Forum for Rare Disease Innovators (RAREi)
  • Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies in Canada
  • National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools

Contact Us

Tweets

  • 4 hours ago Thank you to the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus, guest speakers, researchers, Sponsors and Research Canada st… https://t.co/nElGbRsyRb
  • 9 mins ago RT @hri_portal: La revue de presse hebdomadaire: 26 février 2021 https://t.co/b5t0oQ03zn
  • 9 mins ago RT @hri_portal: Dans la revue de presse hebdomadaire: Centre de recherche national - la Saskatchewan s'engage à appuyer @VIDOInterVac http…
  • 1 hour ago In today's Media Digest: How our team isolated the new #coronavirus to fight the global #pandemic @McMasterU… https://t.co/t1ZhLyJCzE

About Research Canada

Research Canada is a national, broad-based alliance dedicated to increasing investments in health research through collaborative advocacy. We believe health research is shared benefit, shared responsibility and an investment in Canada’s future. We engage government, academia, industry and non-profit sectors to build support for balanced and long-term health research funding – investments that strengthen Canada’s innovation system and lead to better health, sustainable health care, new commercialization opportunities, and skilled jobs for Canadians.

Research Canada: An Alliance for Health Discovery / Recherche Canada : Une alliance pour les découvertes en santé
Your Candidates, Your Health Your Candidates, Your Health
HRI Portal – health • research • innovation
  • Sponsors
  • Health Research
    and Innovation
  • Resources for
    Candidates
  • Resources for
    Advocates
  • What’s Being Said:
    Blog and News
  • Contact
Research Canada/Recherche Canada © 2019 | All Rights Reserved | Tous droits réservés.