Collaborative Advocacy in Action – Health Research Innovation Portal

Research Canada’s 2024 Stakeholder Action Roundtable brings 100+ stakeholders together from the public, private, voluntary and government sectors OTTAWA, February 9, 2024  – On Thursday, February 8,  Research Canada convened stakeholders across the health research and innovation ecosystem, including key voices from industry, government, postsecondary, civil service, charitable, and research sectors to align our advocacy efforts and effectively strategize for the future. The day featured nineteen speakers who provided expertise and facilitated conversations around the current political, social and economic environments; strategy, tactics and messaging around the 2024 Federal Budget cycle; and long-term strategy and alignment of the health research and innovation ecosystem as a whole. “Collaboration is absolutely essential for health research and innovation advocacy, and yesterday was an incredible example of what can be accomplished when we all come together,” said  Alison Evans, Research Canada President and CEO . “The message is clear: Canada’s research ecosystem, and the way we develop and retain talent, need to be revitalized and strengthened to secure our country’s health and economic prosperity on the global stage.” The day demonstrated how aligned stakeholders from all sectors remain on the importance of a healthy and vibrant research and innovation ecosystem which shapes highly talented thinkers and equips Canada with the ideas and knowledge it needs to build a more prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive future for us all. Canada has been falling behind peer countries, and thus advocacy from all sectors, for months and continuing right up to the release of Budget 2024, urges government to take immediate and significant action through new investment in research to correct this decline. Such investments are needed to ensure that science and research can successfully underpin Canada’s ambition to build a sustainable, prosperous, and just society in the turbulent 21st century. For more on the work of Research Canada and the national partners aligned under the Coalition for Canadian Research, please visit: researchcoalition.ca About  Research Canada Research Canada  is a national alliance dedicated to increasing investments in health research and support for its related innovation through collaborative advocacy and engaging government, academia, industry and the non-profit sector to build support for long-term health research funding. For more information, visit rc-rc.ca. For inquiries: Christie Tomkins Manager of Policy and Public Affairs Research Canada 613-234-5129 [email protected]