AIC offers national research strategy preview
The Ontario Farmer – AIC offers a preview of the national research strategy. The plan, put together after two years of consultrations, stresses a balance between applied and basic research.
The Agricultural Institute of Canada has provided a preview of what will likely be in its national agriculture research policy that is to be released in September.
In a roundup of what has been identified during two years of consultations that culminated with a policy development conference in Pttawa in July, the AIC siad there was a clear need to achieve a balance between basic and applied research, increased support for interdisciplinary partnerships, collaboration, and co-operation and resolution of issues surrounding Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) in research.
As AIC President Serge Buy has already stated, “A national body is needed to develop an overall agricultural research agenda for Canada.
Working with a wide range of stakeholders, the national body would set long-term strategic priorities to guide the allocation of research funds and personnel for the next 10 to 20 years.
“A national research agenda established with trust, transparancy and accountability at its foundation, would help redress the balance between short-term fast-to-market and long-term basic research priorities,” the report continued. “It would provide guidance for improved research funding models and establish opportunities for funders and research institutions to work effectively together.”
Another theme of the July conference was the need fo stable and predictable funding for interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral partnerships because they had become increasingly important players in modern research.
The research community wants “Enhanced stakeholder engagement, communication and research dissemination strategies; flexibility in research, administrative and financial design and reduction of administrative red tape discouraging collaboration.
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