Government of Canada announces new research fund

December 6, 2018

Dear Friends:

Today the Government of Canada announced a new direction for funding research nationally. The newly created New Frontiers in Research Fund will provide three funding streams to support interdisciplinary and international research projects. It was also announced that the long-standing NCE program will be transitioned into the New Frontiers Fund in the coming years. As such, SCN will not be funded as an NCE going forward.

Although the news is disappointing, we believe there is still an opportunity to partner with government to continue the good work of the Stem Cell Network. As such, we have been in conversation with government officials and political decision-makers for a number of months regarding support through the March 2019 federal budget. They are well aware of the value of the Network and the potential for stem cell research to drive innovative therapies into the clinic in the years to come. Understanding there is significant financial demands from many areas for this upcoming budget it will require a solid grass roots effort to ensure we are successful. Therefore, we are turning to you as a member of SCN’s community to voice your support for SCN with the Minister of Finance, Bill Morneau and the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan.

We have drafted a template letter for you to use and/or modify and email directly to the Ministers. It outlines the importance of stem cell research and what would be lost if SCN were to close its doors this spring. The letter can be downloaded from SCN’s website. Adding your voice is essential in our push to ensure that strategic investments in stem cell research, training and knowledge mobilization continue on! Finally, as the government is already well engaged in developing the budget we would ask that you send in your letter of support prior to the holiday break.

As we have said before, all of us at the Stem Cell Network are confident about the future of Canadian stem cell research and the continuing role SCN will play in the coming years. Now, we need our federal decision-makers to know that Canada’s research community and Canadians are behind Canada’s science. With your help, we can do this!

Sincerely,

Michael Rudnicki, OC, PhD, FRSC                                                 Cate Murray
Scientific Director & CEO                                                               Executive Director & COO