Good evening.
Thank you for inviting me to appear before your committee.
I’m pleased to join my fellow granting council presidents to exchange with you on the successes, challenges and opportunities for science in Canada.
My name is Alejandro Adem. I am the president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada or NSERC. I'm a mathematician currently on leave from a faculty position at the University of British Columbia. Before joining NSERC, I was CEO of Mitacs, a non-profit organization that builds bridges between academia and the private sector through student internships.
I'm also currently serving as the chair of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee. I would be glad to discuss with you today or at a later date the important work the CRCC is doing to collaboratively advance federal research priorities.
First, however, allow me to introduce NSERC and share with you some of the exciting work that we are doing for Canadians.
For more than 40 years, NSERC has played a critical role in supporting natural sciences and engineering research in Canada.
In addition to being Canada's largest funder of discovery, research and innovation, we also support creative public outreach activities, promoting the value of science and engineering and increasing science literacy among young Canadians.
NSERC has two flagship programs. One is discovery grants to support fundamental research and training. The other is alliance grants for university researchers partnering with private sector, public sector or not-for-profit organizations.
We also provide support to students and research trainees from undergraduates all the way through to post-doctoral fellowships.
In addition, NSERC partners with the other councils on important joint programs, such as the Canada research chairs, the Canada first research excellence fund and the highly interdisciplinary new frontiers in research fund.
During the past year, NSERC has invested $1.4 billion to support over 12,000 researchers and over 33,000 trainees at universities and colleges across Canada. NSERC supports 75% of all natural science and engineering researchers in Canada.
Our partnership programs have connected academics to thousands of partners in industry, government and the non-profit sector. We support research at institutions of all sizes across Canada as research excellence occurs in every corner of our country. Our trainees go on to positions in academia, government and the private sector, where a STEM background provides them with critical skills for today's technologically advanced society.
Over the years, the support that NSERC has provided for fundamental research has yielded important technologies and solutions that have benefited Canadians. Areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum science, clean technology, biomedical engineering, etc., have been incubated and then mobilized thanks to the steady support of our discovery and applied research programs, which support ideas and innovation in all the areas of natural sciences and engineering.
In addition to working very closely with the other granting councils, NSERC is proud to collaborate with other government-based departments and agencies in the advancement of science.
In recent years, NSERC has partnered with departments like Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, and Agriculture Canada to fund collaborative efforts between federal scientists and the academic community. Examples include research on forest fires, plastic pollution and food security.
NSERC plays a critical role in understanding and developing solutions to climate change, spending over $200 million annually to support research in environmental sciences, renewable energy, sustainable electric vehicle batteries, carbon capture and storage, and much more.
We're also helping Canadian researchers push the boundaries of knowledge through international partnerships. For example, NSERC and the U.S. National Science Foundation recently announced a joint initiative on quantum science and artificial intelligence.
As we now turn our attention to Canada’s postpandemic economic recovery, NSERC is keen to contribute to that effort in a meaningful way.
For example, last October we launched the NSERC alliance missions grants to address critical science and technology challenges to create benefits for our economy. The college and community innovation program, which supports applied research partnerships between colleges in all regions of the country and SMEs, is generating innovative solutions to local and regional business challenges.
Our agency is committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion, seeking to address the under-representation of many groups in STEM fields, so that all Canadians can benefit from science and innovation.
Madam Chair, these are just some examples of how NSERC is supporting natural sciences research and researchers.
Thank you.