Discovery Grants Program gets top marks but more money needed says review panel

An international review panel says support for fundamental research needs to be increased or Canada faces the risk of losing ground to other nations. The panel included the warning in its evaluation of the flagship Discovery Grants Program (DGP) of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) which it deemed to be extremely effective in supporting research in the natural sciences and engineering.

The panel found the DGP to be "Canada's most important support mechanism for foundation research and should be fully recognized for this importance". That includes boosting the program's funding. Although the panel did not provide a specific amount, it did note that there has been a "fall back in numbers of papers published".

"Canada should be concerned. Internationally, the competition is intense so we said the government should increase support for Discovery Grants," says Dr Max Blouw, panel chair and president/vice-chancellor of Wilfred Laurier Univ. "Amongst our competitor nations, there's a wide divergence but many are investing heavily. There's been a decline in publications but not in quality. Canada continues to hit above our weight internationally and several recent reports show this."

It also commended the program for its grant selection process. The latest DGP competition marks the fifth year in which NSERC has used the conference model and two-part peer review system which supports research programs rather than specific aspects of research.

"The panel told us the new system is now very positive. The conference model is the gold standard. Genome Canada also uses it," says Dr Pierre Charest, NSERC's VP research grants and scholarships. "The competition process went very well."

The latest competition results show the DGP holding steady with success rates and average grant sizes up slightly from the last few years, although the number of applicants is down 9.4% from 2013.

The federal government has taken steps to protect the DGP and similar programs at NSERC's sister granting agencies from cuts in recent years as it strives to eliminate the deficit. For 2014, grants were awarded to 2,005 researchers from 3,134 applicants for an average grant level of $33,612.

The success rate and average grant size was highest for established researchers renewing their grants (80%/$36,550) and established researchers not holding a grant (37%/$28,463). Early career researchers scored a success rate of 66% and an average grant size of $26,999.

"The Panel noted that Canada may be lagging somewhat behind international efforts in terms of the level of HERD (Higher Education R&D) in relation to GDP and suggested that Canada cannot afford to let HERD levels remain static. Ideally, the Government of Canada should seek increased resources for the Discovery Grants." — International Review Panel

Charest notes the government's efforts to insulate basic research funding from fiscal restraint measures and says the recent Budget's $15-million funding increase to NSERC is being allocated to the DGP.

"We hope it will be invested in Discovery Grants. We're waiting for approval from Treasury Board," he says. "There is a recognition from the government that we can't rest on our laurels because Canada is a good performer of fundamental research ... Our intention is to put the money towards discovery research."

The international review panel also commended the DGP for its support for highly qualified personnel, noting that researchers who held DGs supported HQP more than those who did not, providing a mechanism for support to graduate students "in a sustainable manner".

The panel did not make any recommendations for major changes to the DGP but did have suggestions on minor changes. These include allowing early-stage researchers to apply early for their first renewals, better communication on how the conference model works, and looking for additional efficiencies in the review process to reduce the workload of evaluation groups.

"As a Canadian researcher and a recipient of NSERC funding, it is gratifying to see NSERC doing so well with the Discovery Grants Program, which is the envy of the world," says Blouw. "The program is extraordinarily well designed for Canada."

R$