Management Response and Action Plan for the Talent Evaluation

Context

The Tri-agency Talent Evaluation is a strategic-level evaluation that began in spring 2021 and was concluded in fall 2023. The evaluation was undertaken to inform decisions about agency funding for research training and talent development. It explores student access to funding, the student training experience, and the trajectory of master’s- and doctoral-level graduate students who are directly and/or indirectly funded by the three agencies.

The evaluation’s purpose is to assess how well the agencies’ portfolio of talent-related funding aligns to advance common goals and to identify opportunities to strengthen the agencies’ collective efforts for student training to enhance Canada’s future research capacity.

Three priority areas were identified for the evaluation: how the agencies’ funding enables student access to training opportunities, contributes to a rich and inclusive training environment, and influences student trajectory. The evaluation examined the following themes and questions in support of these priority areas:

• Relevance and Effectiveness of the agencies’ funding support for students
  • Who does the portfolio reach?
  • How does this portfolio contribute to the research training environment?
  • Does this funding influence student career trajectories?
• COVID-19
  • What should the agencies consider in the context of changes in the training environment and/or student experience due to COVID-19?

Comments from Management

Since their inception, the three agencies have attracted and developed some of the most promising new talent, positioning Canada for a bright future of innovative contributions from world-class trainees in the global research ecosystem. These investments have supported trainees directly in their own autonomous research and indirectly by developing their skills as they work alongside research experts in the context of research grants.

Much of the evidence presented in the Tri-agency Talent Evaluation aligns with recommendations from recent reports and other stakeholder engagements, including the Report of the Federal Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System, the Report of the Standing Committee on Science and Research on scholarships and fellowships, and Canada’s Fundamental Science Review. Some examples include:

• simplifying and harmonizing of programs and policies
• eliminating barriers to equitable participation
• increasing funding levels to alleviate the financial hardships faced by research trainees
• improving support of trainees transitioning into the workforce

This Management Response and Action Plan (MRAP) provides responses to the 14 recommendations of the Tri-agency Talent Evaluation and identifies actions the agencies will take to strengthen and advance tri-agency training programs, policies and processes.

To address the growing complexity of the Canadian research ecosystem, and to meet the changing needs of researchers, this evaluation is one of several coordinated and evidence-informed efforts that have been undertaken by the three federal research granting agencies. These efforts have resulted in key strategies that will underpin the development and implementation of activities within this MRAP to increase equitable access to research funding, to support an increasingly equitable, inclusive and diverse research community, and to improve programs and program delivery.

These include:

• the tri-agency strategic plan, Setting New Directions to Support Indigenous Research and Research Training in Canada, to advance culturally relevant and respectful models of support for research conducted by, and with, Indigenous Peoples
• fostering of a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, accessible research ecosystem in Canada through the Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan and the Dimensions Charter
• advancing of fair access to tri-agency research support and equitable participation in the research system for early career researchers (ECRs) through the tri-agency ECR action plan
• a shared commitment through the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) to strengthening research excellence by ensuring robust, equitable and impactful measures of research assessment.

While work is already underway on multiple fronts across the three agencies that complements the evaluation’s recommendations, it is important to acknowledge that more work needs to be done. The agencies’ response to the evaluation will, therefore, improve programs and program delivery and will have an emphasis on the foundational principles of EDI to ensure equitable access to funding opportunities, and contribute to the development of a more equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible postsecondary research ecosystem and culture in Canada, in alignment with the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan. These principles will be central to these strategies and will be reflected in policies, plans, programs and processes, developed as a result of the evaluation’s recommendations.

We are pleased to present this MRAP, which provides specific information on the management response to the recommendations contained in the evaluation report.

Program management wishes to thank those who participated in the interviews and surveys conducted by the evaluation team, and notes the feedback received will be used to inform the implementation of the MRAP.

Christian Baron, PhD
Vice-President, Research Programs
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Marc Fortin, PhD
Vice-President, Research Grants and Scholarships
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

Sylvie Lamoureux, PhD
Vice-President, Research
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Contact Information: Susan Morris, Director, Evaluation, SSHRC

Management Action Plan

Date modified:

2024-05-24