The Distribution of Federal Government Funding Among Canada’s Post-Secondary Institutions

Key recommendations include:

  1. Establish an equitable research funding framework that fully captures the capacity of polytechnics and colleges to respond to the needs of Canadian businesses, boosting private sector participation in the innovation ecosystem
  2. Revisit funding models and programs which rely heavily on prior funding success, peer-reviewed publications and patents as indicators of research excellence. Productivity gains should be an important driver of government investment
  3. Consider mechanisms to more evenly distribute research support funding to ensure all players in the academic research ecosystem have sufficient resources to build and sustain a research infrastructure in service of their mandate

Submission to the Department of Finance in advance of Budget 2024

Key recommendations include:

  1. When considering a response to the Report of the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System, ensure new measures fully utilize capacity across the entire post-secondary research ecosystem, especially as it relates to mission-driven and industry-led research at polytechnic institutions
  2. As Indigenous businesses and communities seek economic empowerment and solutions to local challenges, ensure there are funding mechanisms that activate existing academic capacity and enable institutions to build effective, long-term relationships with their Indigenous partners
  3. Ensure post-secondary institutions have adequate access to strategic infrastructure funding to support campus renewal, invest in affordable student housing and undertake sustainability projects
  4. Implement a $25 million cost-shared training equipment fund for Canada’s hands-on learning institutions to ensure they can better unlock industry investment and adapt programming to respond to a rapidly evolving labour market
  5. To boost apprenticeship starts, introduce support for high-intervention apprenticeship intermediaries that support the hiring, training and deployment of apprentices and reduce friction to employer participation
  6. Launch a national consultation to inform policies related to Canada’s international student population with a view to developing a long-term strategy to ensure ethical recruitment, efficient visa processing, adequate supports and resources during training and transparent pathways to immigration