Quebec's chief scientist advocates for major changes to graduate studies

The renewal of graduate training is shaping up as a major focus for Quebec's chief scientist, although a planned summit for this November will likely be delayed until 2013 due to the change in the provincial government. Chief scientist Dr Rémi Quirion says ensuring that the next generation of researchers has the skills to contribute to economic and social growth will require major changes to the post-secondary curriculum.

Quirion outlined his priorities during a presentation last month at the Univ of Ottawa's Institute for Science, Society and Policy (ISSP) and cautioned that changes to graduate studies is a major challenge that will face obstacles at both the academic and government levels.

"Most programs still train students like we did 30 years ago, which is narrow in topic and detail. It's primarily a pathway to an academic career. Currently 25% of graduates go on to academic careers and students say they want broader exposure to business, financing, human resources and ethics to prepare for careers in government and business," says Quirion, who also chairs the board of directors of the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). "The University of Sherbrooke and École Polytechnique de Montréal have started to change but they are the exception to the rule ... University funding goes by faculty and department and that needs to change. We need to start with some money and have an RFP to which universities and colleges can apply."

When the Summit for the Renewal of Graduate Research Training is eventually held, it will feature three discussion topics: the current state of training programs, the future needs of private and civil societies and the ability of education systems to recruit, train and retain future generations of young researchers of international calibre.

Part of the sea change required to better prepare students for a diversity of careers must start at the primary and high school levels, which Quirion says poses an even bigger challenge. While policy development is still in the early stages, he says one method of enhancing science literacy at young ages is to use graduates to go into schools to speak with students. Another method would to use "the virtual world" of the Internet to get closer to the younger generation

change in government and ministry

Quirion says that while it's unlikely the recent victory of the Parti québécois will impact the province's research and innovation strategy, the current trajectory will be altered by the change in the responsible ministry. The Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade has been replaced by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MHEST) headed by a politician with no background in S&T (R$, September 20/12).

"The new ministry is closer to the university system and that's good, it makes sense," says Quirion, adding that he has already met with the new minister, Pierre Duchesne. "The challenge is on the economic side as the former ministry included economic development. We need to keep the bridges we have built to ensure we have academic-industry collaboration.. The summit on education is coming up which is Duchesne's mandate because research and graduate training is part of it."

new strategy delayed until spring

In the meantime, development of Quebec's updated research and innovation strategy is moving forward, although Quirion says the final strategy will likely be delayed by about six month until Spring 2013 due to the change in government. Reports by the two outside groups engaged to consult with the various players in the innovation system have been finalized and will meet with FRQ and government officials in the coming days.

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