Appendix A. Notes: Alberta Scholar and Trainee Development Program

Have two major funding sources:

• Alberta Heritage Fund for Medical Research
  • started in 1980 with a $300 million investment that has since grown to $1 billion.
  • $600 million invested over the past 12 years, most of it in people following the principle that research capacity depends on attracting and/or developing good researchers and giving them the time and resources to do research.
• Science & Engineering Fund
• Alberta considers the Heritage Fund so successful that it has committed to develop a similar endowment for science and engineering. Provided a $500 million investment in this year's budget, with a pledge to build the endowment to $1 billion in ten years.

Scholar/Trainee Component of Program
Designed for recruitment not for support of existing faculty. Began with an emphasis on senior scholar and fellowships/studentships, adding other categories later. Also began by building on strength in the biomedical research sector and added programs later to build strength in other areas (i.e. clinician investigators, population/community health investigators). Now provides a comprehensive career pathway from a summer school research preparatory program to the scientist level.

Categories of support

• scientist - 5 year renewable award (based on peer review) up to age 65
• senior scholar - 5 year non-renewable award, expected to move up
• scholar - 5 year non-renewable award, expected to move up
• clinician investigator & population health investigator (3 year awards, renewable for up to 3 years. These are "mentored awards" designed to assist candidates to move into the scholar stream)
• fellowships
• studentships
• summer students

Support packages
Besides salary and benefits, support packages include:

• start up grants (250,000 - 300,000 - up to $1 million, depending on level of candidate)
• clinical income assistance for clinician investigators - 5 year one-time award
• secretarial support
• incentives for obtaining external awards: e.g. will top up MRC scholar awards to meet university salary levels and also provide benefits, secretarial support and establishment funds. In addition, will provide 15 percent of the total package (e.g. award plus the add-ons) to the university for support of indirect research costs
• provide "appointment bonuses" in the form of research allowances for candidates who move into the senior scholar category ($30,000 one-time money) or the scientist category ($50,000 one-time money)

Measures of Program Success

• Funds from Heritage support three per cent of the university faculty members (Calgary and Edmonton) and that three per cent bring in 25 per cent of the all external funding at these universities.
• Of all the faculty that have been supported by the Foundation, 75 per cent are still in Alberta and another 15 per cent are at other Canadian centres and all are productive. Over the last five years, only three senior scientists have been recruited; the rest have been developed through the Heritage Career Path Program.
• Have recruited 270 scientists to Alberta and trained 5,000 students.
• Spin off benefits for health and the economy due to critical mass, ability to recruit, etc.