SPOR, the strategy for patient-oriented research, is emphasizing the need for more translational research.
We invest about half a billion dollars a year in generating a better understanding of all the determinants of health, but obviously people are looking for the translation of that knowledge, where appropriate, into better diagnosis and better treatment. That's the overarching theme about SPOR. The way in which it is being transacted is through a partnership with many different groups in Canada, especially the provinces, which of course have responsibility for delivering the health care services to Canadians.
We have just finalized eight support units in different geographic regions of Canada that will provide an infrastructure for ensuring, for example, a better clinical trial structure or a better analysis of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of interventions. The difference that you might be looking for here is a strong commitment by CIHR to more translational research. That's what SPOR represents.