Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm pleased to be here today.

Thank you for inviting me today to discuss the development of the new capstone agency and its mission, mandate, role, structure and financing.

Universities Canada represents 96 institutions of all sizes. All these institutions are part of Canada's rich research ecosystem.

Advanced research training in all disciplines is the foundation of a post-secondary system that delivers the highly skilled talent Canada needs for a knowledge-driven and innovative economy. The new capstone agency will play a crucial role in this process and in modernizing and strengthening federal support.

Universities Canada participated in the tri-agencies' consultations held this past summer. We also held our own consultations with our members, and we produced a report on these discussions, which has been shared with the tri-councils, the department and the minister's office.

I would like to emphasize three key priorities as we discuss what this new agency might look like and be responsible for.

First, let's protect what's good about the system we've built in Canada.

Our members feel strongly that the structure and integrity of the tri-councils should be maintained under this new organization, a recommendation also made by the advisory panel on the federal research support system. The tri-councils are integral to Canada's research ecosystem, supporting the specific needs of the STEM, the social sciences and the health sciences communities.

Their governance structure includes strong academic representation, which enhances understanding of the research process and needs. We recommend that the capstone agency include academic representation in its structure and that any new internal grant review committees also comprise academic subject matter experts. We must ensure that the cost of administrating this new agency does not take away from existing research funding capacity in Canada.

Second, let's improve our system where there's room to improve it.

The stated goals of the new agency are to modernize and to bring more coordination, cohesion and agility to Canada's research funding system. To meet these important goals and to maximize the positive impact of this reform, we must minimize any administrative burden and ensure ongoing research remains unhindered. Adding layers of bureaucracy would negatively impact accessibility for researchers and would limit the participation of smaller institutions, which already face significant burdens and often lack capacity to support researchers in this regard.

Our members recommend that the new agency make funding applications and reporting processes more efficient by implementing either a universal grant management portal or a data management system. The agency should also look for opportunities to decrease the existing administrative burden and to provide additional supports to institutions to address them.

Finally, one of the objectives of the capstone agency is to strengthen Canada's ability to support mission-driven research. Our members support the value of mission-driven research, but it's important to emphasize the importance of making sure that investigator-led discovery research is not pushed to the wayside. Investigator-led research can lead to discoveries that address future problems. Canada also needs this kind of research to preserve academic independence and the integrity of the research process.

As the government moves forward with the creation of its new agency and the modernization of the system, it should continue to be guided by regular, sustained consultations with researchers, institutions and stakeholders, as well as by findings from the independent “Report of the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System”.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.

I'm ready to answer your questions.