CIFAR, CABHI Receive $850 Million in Federal Science Funding

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), a beacon of scientific excellence, is among 24 Canadian science and research institutions that have been dealt a cruel blow.

The federal government's Strategic Science Fund (SSF), once a lifeline of support, has now turned its back on these institutions, leaving them to face an uncertain future. Over the next five years, CIFAR and its fellow institutions will be deprived of $858.7 million in funding, a devastating loss that threatens to extinguish the flame of scientific discovery in Canada.

The Strategic Science Fund (SSF), once a beacon of hope for Canadian science and research, has now become a symbol of despair. First envisioned in the 2019 budget, the SSF promised to provide much-needed funding to institutions like CIFAR. However, the inaugural competition process, which began in 2021, proved to be a cruel mockery.

Applications were meticulously evaluated based on stringent criteria, including federal priorities, national presence, governance, and demonstrable impact. But in a cruel twist of fate, the winners were announced in December 2023, only to be met with devastating news: CIFAR and its fellow institutions had been denied the funding they desperately needed. The SSF, once a lifeline, had become a harbinger of despair, leaving Canadian science and research on the brink of collapse.

Anita Anand, the Treasury Board president, and Marci Ien, the minister for women and gender equity and youth, stood before the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) on Sunday, their faces etched with a somber expression. Their mission was to announce the funding that had been allocated to Canadian science and research institutions through the Strategic Science Fund (SSF). But as they uttered the words, a palpable sense of despair hung in the air.

CIFAR and its fellow institutions had been denied the funding they desperately needed, leaving the future of Canadian science and research in jeopardy. The announcement, which should have been a moment of celebration, became a dirge, echoing the shattered dreams of countless scientists and researchers.

The federal government's announcement of the SSF funding recipients was a cruel charade, a hollow attempt to mask the devastating blow they had dealt to Canadian science and research. The so-called "competitive evaluation process" was nothing more than a smokescreen, a bureaucratic dance designed to obscure the fact that CIFAR and its fellow institutions had been unjustly denied the funding they deserved.

Fifty-five letters of intent were ruthlessly whittled down to 34 full applications, each subjected to the scrutiny of sub-committees and a technical review. But this facade of due diligence was merely a prelude to the final act of betrayal: the decision by an "independent" 18-person expert review panel to exclude CIFAR from the list of recipients.

In a cruel and shortsighted move, the federal government has excluded CIFAR and CABHI from the recipients of its Strategic Science Fund (SSF). This devastating blow to Canadian science and research has sent shockwaves through the academic community.Despite their world-renowned reputations and groundbreaking contributions, CIFAR and CABHI have been cast aside in favor of less deserving institutions. The government's decision is a betrayal of the scientific community and a clear indication that it has no regard for the future of Canadian research.

While CIFAR and CABHI have been left out in the cold, Genome Canada has emerged as the biggest winner from the Strategic Science Fund (SSF). The independent, federally funded non-profit has been granted a whopping $154.2 million to invest in genomics research, innovation, and talent.Despite being a key component of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, CIFAR has received a paltry $34.5 million from the Strategic Science Fund (SSF). This meager funding is a betrayal of the government's commitment to AI research and innovation.

CIFAR's 128-member AI Chair program is essential to the success of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy. These chairs are responsible for supporting Canadian understanding and research in the strategy's priority areas, including health, energy, the environment, fundamental science, and the responsible use of AI.

By failing to provide adequate funding to CIFAR, the government is undermining its own AI strategy. CIFAR will be forced to scale back its research programs, leading to a loss of innovation and a decline in Canada's global competitiveness in AI.