Part I: Introduction

Health research in British Columbia is at a crossroads. At a time when the federal government is committing millions to renew research infrastructure and to train and keep world class researchers in Canada, B.C.'s lack of support for health research (we rank second to last among the provinces) has seriously compromised our ability to compete for existing and new federal research funds.

We must move now to build our health research base and put B.C. back on a competitive footing with the other provinces. At stake is not only the future of our health system but also our ability to develop and retain the leadership necessary to seize opportunities and create new jobs in the knowledge-based industries that are driving economic growth in B.C. and around the world.

Coalition Role
As an organizing body representing key stakeholders in B.C.'s research community, the Coalition for Health Research is raising awareness at the federal and provincial government levels and in the community about the plight of health research in British Columbia. The Coalition also has worked with the provincial government to secure funds for the 1999/2000 operation of the B.C. Health Research Foundation and is pressing for a significant increase in provincial funding for health research in the next fiscal year.

The priority now is to build on these gains by developing a clear consensus in the health research community on a five-year plan to support research development in British Columbia.

We are proud of the many hard-working men and women who work and have excelled in health research in our province. But we have the potential to do so much more. By uniting our health research community to develop and champion a comprehensive plan for the development of health research in our province, we speak with far greater strength than ever before.

Our message: Working together, we can restore B.C. to a competitive position in health research, capable of securing funding to carry out the best and most innovative research in the country and of keeping our health system and economy strong.

Developing the Plan
In January 2000, the Coalition for Health Research in British Columbia began a process to obtain input from the broader research community about the human resource and infrastructure programs and the funding structure required for research development in B.C. over the long term.

With support from the Vancouver Foundation, the Coalition sponsored three working group sessions in February to begin developing a comprehensive plan to enhance B.C.'s health research enterprise. Participants representing key stakeholders in B.C.'s research community met to explore and make recommendations for meeting needs in three categories: human resources, infrastructure, and new opportunities/emerging fields/regional development.

Their recommendations were merged to become part of an interim draft document (Building a B.C. Health Research Development Strategy), that was circulated for comment to members of the working groups and to a broad selection of academic, industry and funding agency stakeholders. Their comments were synthesized with feedback obtained at a meeting of the full Coalition membership held April 19, 2000 to create a second, consensus document called Building a B.C. Health Research Strategy. At the urging of work shop participants and other reviewers, who identified it as a critical limiting factor in achieving an effective B.C. research development strategy, a section has been added on the urgent need for research space development.

Building a B.C. Health Research Strategy builds on and strengthens the messages of the original interim draft document. It also reinforces to the provincial and federal governments that B.C.'s health research community has come together to speak with one voice, with a common vision and plan for restoring our competitiveness at the national level. This Team B.C. approach confers a strength and ability to influence the future of health research that is greater than B.C.'s health research community has ever realized.