Canadian Institute of Advanced Research enters period of renewal as it secures multi-year funding commitment from Ottawa

The Canadian Institute of Advanced Research (CIAR) has successfully secured a new commitment of federal funding to maintain its ambitious slate of transdisciplinary research. The decision of the federal government to provide CIAR with $14 million over the next four years was made earlier this week at the Univ of Alberta, with Industry minister John Manley touring a laboratory for nanoelectronics - one CIAR's eight program areas.

Industry Canada will provide $11 million of the federal contribution, with the remaining $3 million secured from Health Canada. The funding represents the government's recognition of CIAR's growing importance both to the advancement of knowledge and its ability to retain and attract leading human expertise. It's also an improvement from past funding agreements, being provided on a 1:1 matching basis versus a 1:2 basis in the past.

CIAR's annual budget now stands at $10.2 million, with $4.6 million coming from a variety of industry, foundation and individuals, and a total of $2.1 million contributed by several provinces. The latter includes the recently announced $400,000 commitment over three years from the government of British Columbia, which claims that more than 25% of CIAR funding goes to researchers resident in the province. CIAR ultimately hopes to boost funding from provincial sources to approximately one third of its budget.

The new funding comes at a time of considerable change at CIAR, with the departure of its president, Dr Stefan Dupré late last year. Dupré's decision to retire sparked a search for his replacement, which is just getting underway in earnest. In addition, VP advancement Doug Todgham also retired and was recently replaced by Kara Spence.

In the meantime, executive authority is being handled by CIAR board chairman Tom Kierans, who agreed to assume Dupré's duties on an interim basis. Kierans joined CIAR last fall, replacing Dr David Johnston who resigned when he was appointed as president of Waterloo Univ.

Kierans' immediate priority is to secure a new president and CEO, while continuing to seek stable funding from the provinces and private sector. Also high on his list of action items is the area of institutional governance, including the revitalization of the board of directors.

"Fund-raising is always a challenge. The private sector filled the breach during the tough times but that's not forever," says Kierans, who came to the CIAR after a 10-year stint as president and CEO of the CD Howe Institute. "Johnston and Todgham took CIAR in the direction of corporate funding and they built it up big time, while Stefan (Dupré) focused on the federal government and the province. My goal is to fund the institute with multi-year grants so that each sector contributed roughly one third of the budget."

The CIAR is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of research in a select number of areas, which are constantly reviewed to determine whether continued support is justified.

"We're always looking for new receptors," says Kierans. "Once our research programs break through to the academic community, we then look for new frontiers."

The retention of Canadian research expertise is also an important thrust of the CIAR's approach to research, much to the delight of governments that are grappling with this contentious issue. Of its network of 190 researchers, more than 80 live outside Canada. Yet Kierans asserts that the opportunity for CIAR's researchers to interact with the world's best in unique areas of multi disciplinary research reduces the need or desire to work elsewhere, enhancing the Institute's reputation as a university without walls. "Canada has many front-ranked researchers and the idea is to keep these people in Canada, but in contact with their peers throughout the world."

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