Executive Summary

Despite having 13 per cent of Canada's population, B.C. takes home only 8 per cent of federal health research funds. With the federal government annually allocating more then $550 million through new funding programs (as much as $1 billion by 2004/05), B.C. risks leaving $50 million or more in Ottawa each year to benefit other provinces. B.C. is losing researchers (who are also specialists in our health system) to other jurisdictions. We are also losing our ability to recruit replacements or to train them from within.

The Team B.C. Solution
Building a B.C. Health Research Strategy is a call to action and a consensus plan for developing our provincial research capacity. Facilitated by the Coalition for Health Research in British Columbia, the report recommends implementing four capacity-building support programs based on four planning principles to improve B.C.'s ability to compete nationally and internationally for researchers and health research funds.

Planning Principles

• Transform the B.C. Health Research Foundation, creating a new organizational and governance framework to provide leadership in realizing the vision and plan for enhancing B.C.'s research capacity and competitiveness at the national and international level.
• Significantly increase provincial investment in health research (through a renewed B.C. Health Research Foundation); replace the current practice of annual fluctuating allocations with multi-year funding to facilitate effective long-term planning.
• Balance funding across a matrix of needs and objectives (i.e. needs across and within capacity-building programs; across research sectors; and across strategic plan objectives of improving health, securing more federal funds, and supporting the development of B.C.'s knowledge based economy).
• Work with partners in all sectors to create a permanent and stable research funding source through a B.C. Health Research Endowment (e.g. a Legacy Fund).

Capacity-building Programs

• Implement a comprehensive research career path program that provides a continuum of support from trainee, through junior and senior scholar to the senior scientist level to improve B.C.'s ability to attract, support and retain health researchers and health research trainees.
• Implement programs to build and sustain research infrastructure (human and program support systems) to enhance research productivity.
• Fund research initiatives that address emerging priorities, innovation and change specific to B.C.'s health system.
• Develop new research space to accommodate the added recruitment and research activity necessary to restore and maintain our competitiveness with other provinces.