Canada Excellence Research Chairs

Canada Excellence Research Chairs
Name	Canada Excellence Research Chairs
Established	2008
Administered by	Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Country	Canada
Funding	Government of Canada, Canada First Research Excellence Fund (related)

Canada Excellence Research Chairs The Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) program is a federal initiative to attract world-class researchers to Canadian institutions by offering long-term funding and prestigious appointments. Launched to strengthen Canadian research capacity, the program has supported interdisciplinary teams, partnerships with industry and international research institutions, and has influenced recruitment at universities such as University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, McGill University, and University of Alberta.

Overview

The CERC program awards substantial chairs at Canadian universities to recruit eminent scholars from networks including Max Planck Society, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CNRS, RIKEN, and CERN. Each chair is intended to catalyze collaborations with partners such as NRC Canada and private firms like Bombardier, while aligning with national priorities expressed by agencies including NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR. The program has targeted fields spanning connections to initiatives at Perimeter Institute, Montreal Heart Institute, TRIUMF, Institut Pasteur, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

History and Establishment

Announced in 2008 during a period of major Canadian investment parallel to programs like Canada Research Chairs and following precedents from international talent-attraction initiatives such as Australia Laureate Fellowship and UK Research Excellence Framework, CERC aimed to reverse brain drain and boost competitiveness. It was implemented with contributions from agencies such as Industry Canada and coordinated with provincial institutions like Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation and Alberta Innovates. Notable early appointments included scholars with prior posts at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Imperial College London, and Princeton University.

Program Structure and Funding

CERC appointments typically provide multi-year funding for research programs, infrastructure, and team salaries, drawing on federal allocations approved in budgets and supplements connected to funds such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation and matching support from host institutions like McMaster University and Queen's University. Chairs are hosted within faculties and institutes including Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo, Montreal Neurological Institute, and research centres affiliated with Saskatchewan Health Authority and BC Cancer Agency. Funding agreements outline deliverables, reporting to granting agencies including Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and oversight by advisory boards featuring members from Academy of Sciences-style bodies and corporate partners such as Teck Resources and Shaw Communications.

Selection Process and Eligibility

The competitive selection involves external peer review by panels composed of international experts from institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, ETH Zurich, University of Cambridge, and University of Melbourne. Eligibility requires nomination by a Canadian university and evidence of leadership comparable to laureates from bodies such as Royal Society and recipients of awards like the Nobel Prize, Lasker Award, Fields Medal, and Turing Award. Shortlisted candidates often demonstrate prior affiliations with centers such as Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Broad Institute, Salk Institute, and partnerships with agencies like EUREKA and European Research Council.

Notable Chairs and Research Projects

Prominent appointments have included researchers who previously led laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, and projects interfacing with initiatives like Human Genome Project, ITER, Square Kilometre Array, and Higgs boson-related collaborations. Research themes span oncology collaborations with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, neuroscience partnerships with Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, climate science linked to IPCC, quantum information tied to Perimeter Institute, and materials science connected to Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. Host universities such as Dalhousie University and University of Calgary have advanced projects with partners including Siemens, General Electric, and provincial ministries.

Impact and Outcomes

The CERC program contributed to increased citation rates and grant capture at recipient institutions, catalyzed spin-offs and start-ups partnering with incubators linked to MaRS Discovery District and Communitech, and enhanced Canada’s profile in international rankings alongside peers like University of Oxford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Outcomes include technology transfers to companies like BlackBerry Limited and collaborations with research infrastructures such as Canadian Light Source, SHARCNET, and Compute Canada. Several chairs helped secure further awards for their teams from agencies like Genome Canada and Mitacs.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics compared CERC with programs such as Canada Research Chairs and flagged issues including concentration of resources, transparency of selection, and retention linked to mobility of scholars between institutions like UCL and Columbia University. Debates involved provincial stakeholders such as Québec ministries and questions about alignment with regional priorities voiced by associations including the Canadian Association of University Teachers and think tanks such as Institute for Research on Public Policy. High-profile departures prompted scrutiny similar to controversies in other talent programs involving institutions like University of California, Berkeley and funding reallocations considered by bodies such as Parliament of Canada.

Category:Canadian science and technology