Call To Action By Canada's Research Hospitals On Strategic Framework For Science

Building on the federal government's Science & Technology Strategy "Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage", the report identifies 10 Calls to Action, which focus on the need to: - Develop a national strategic framework for health research - Create a sustainable fiscal framework for public and private investments in health research - Identify a clearer consensus on discovery-based and targeted investments in health research - Develop and communicate a better understanding of the return-on-investment from health research, innovation and commercialization, and - Create additional business acumen capacity to assist in the commercialization of health research ... 1. Develop a compelling vision and mission for health research in Canada: It is crucial for Canada to develop a meaningful and compelling vision and mission for the health research enterprise. It is equally crucial that this vision and mission serve as a guidepost or roadmap in developing a more detailed science and technology strategy for the health sector. 2. Develop a national strategic framework for health research in Canada: Following from the development of a vision and mission for health research, it is imperative that a national strategic framework for health research be created. This integrated framework or "ecosystem" - which encompasses the component parts of the health research enterprise - must reflect the "inputs" required to support discovery-based research; the legislative, regulatory and fiscal environment; the technology transfer process; and the process through which we "translate" and convert knowledge into "outputs," such as improved health for Canadians, more cost-effective clinical and administrative decision-making, and greater movement of innovative products and services to the marketplace. It must also be inextricably linked to the policy development process. 3. Develop and communicate more practical methodologies that provide a better understanding of the return-on-investment that come from health research, innovation and commercialization: Given the need for improved accountability and transparency for the manner in which we invest in health research - and the fact that the global landscape for health research is changing in terms of identifying targets and deliverables - we must develop and communicate more practical and user-friendly methodologies that measure the different ways in which health research provides value-for-money; this includes improved health status, the provision of cost-effective health services and the manner in which the system is organized and managed, and an economic return-on-investment. 4. Develop a sustainable, multi-year federal fiscal framework for public investments in health research: To facilitate a more rational policy conversation and planning process that fully leverages our investments in health research across the country, it is vital to develop a sustainable, multi-year federal fiscal framework for health research. In its absence, we continue to run the risk of lurching from year-to- year funding in an environment plagued by uncertainty. This recommendation should be seriously considered in light of the fact that close to 80% of public funding for health research occurs in ACAHO member institutions. 5. Adopt a balanced federal approach to investing in the components that support the health research enterprise in Canada Given the number of "moving parts" that are integrally involved in supporting health research in Canada and to maximize our collective outputs, it is essential to have an effective structural alignment of federal instruments as well as a balanced approach to investing in highly skilled people, operating grants, infrastructure and indirect costs. At the same time, we need to ensure that we have an appropriate and complementary legislative and regulatory framework (e.g., intellectual property, tax policy) that facilitates innovation in Canada, and accelerates the translation of knowledge. 6. Recognize the full value that Canada's Research Hospitals bring to the health research enterprise: Members of ACAHO - which comprise the overwhelming majority of Canada's Research Hospitals - play a critical role in translating knowledge that comes from health research. Our members have important collaborative relationships and partnerships with governments, Universities and the private sector; however, our members are stand-alone organizations who make strategic contributions to advancing the boundaries of research, knowledge creation and innovation in their own right. 7. Develop a clearer consensus on the relationship between discovery-based and targeted investments health research: While it is understood that new knowledge and innovation can be created in non-linear ways, more clarity is required vis-à-vis the relationship between investments in discovery-based research and those investments that are more targeted in nature (e.g., wait times, public health, mental health). It is important to bear in mind that each form of research has different objectives, and that this should be reflected in our funding priorities. 8. Create additional business acumen capacity to assist in the commercialization of health research: As Canada continues to advance our understanding of the global impact of discoveries that come from the life sciences, we also must ensure that we have the people skills to fully harness the economic benefits that come from new discoveries. While there are established approaches to communicating information to the public, and to clinicians, administrators and policy makers, more must be done when it comes to converting new knowledge into innovative and marketable products and services. We must ask ourselves how we can improve our collective business acumen and implement the "mechanisms" required to successfully commercialize findings from health research. 9. Develop an inclusive and ongoing process of consultation that promotes an effective dialogue: While there are ongoing discussions related to Canada's health research enterprise, there is no process that brings together all of the relevant stakeholders to discuss ongoing and emerging issues of importance. Organizations like Research Canada and the Canadian Health Industries Partnership can play vital roles, yet it is important to establish a "meeting place" where all key stakeholders can discuss the future of health research in this country. 10. Develop more robust data instruments that collect comparable health research data: Currently, the publicly available data sets in existence and their respective survey instruments are either incomplete or not as effectively targeted to the health research community as they need to be. In order to more fully understand the breadth of parameters that are involved in the health research enterprise, it is essential to develop relevant and comparable indicators and more rigorous methods of collecting information on a timely and regular basis. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2007/28/c5229.html

Note: http://www.newswire.ca/...