What’s the value of university research? For many reading this, it might seem like a simple question with a straightforward answer about the profound social, economic, and cultural impact of academic investigation. Canadians seem convinced that university-based research is important, infusing, and informing all aspects of our lives, and leading to enhanced prosperity and a better quality of life.
But while Canadians say we do value research—and want even more of it, according to a recent Canada-wide poll, we still feel remarkably uninformed. Only one in 10 believe they are very knowledgeable about research, and two-thirds say they have too little information about the impact of new scientific discoveries on Canada’s society. For many Canadians, university research is still largely terra incognita. And that clearly needs to change.
Here’s why: since 1997, the federal government has invested $11 billion in university research. That’s a laudable investment in knowledge creation. But politicians and policymakers want to know what they’re paying for with Canadian taxpayer dollars. And Canadians deserve to know how this investment is benefiting them.
The Canadian university community is increasingly and energetically addressing this challenge. And universities understand that they must make the value of this investment crystal clear to all Canadians.
As part of this effort, this fall the AUCC will publish Momentum: The 2005 Report on University Research and Knowledge Transfer. It is the first public report by the AUCC on the collective efforts of universities to contribute to the country’s social and economic well-being. Momentum will begin to draw the all-important link between research performance and benefits to Canadians in the areas of health, environment, culture, cities, government, and the economy.
As its name implies, Momentum is about a building process, not a one-off event. And the reason is evident—it’s not always easy to document the value of research, even research that eventually changes the world.
Sometimes, the benefits of a particular research initiative are life saving, and thus easily described. Diabetes threatens the lives of an estimated 2.25 million Canadians. The Edmonton Protocol, a procedure developed by researchers at the University of Alberta, involves transplanting insulin-producing cells from a healthy pancreas into the liver of a diabetic. One year after transplantation, four-out-of-five patients undergoing this procedure no longer require insulin injections.
But what’s the social value of a one percent increase in the rate of literacy in Canada? Especially when the research costs are substantial. The Canadian Language and Literacy Network, involving 30 universities across the country, is providing policy-makers and practitioners with valuable tools to help the seven million Canadians who struggle with language and literacy problems. A recent study by Statistics Canada and the University of Ottawa shows that a single percentage point improvement in literacy levels would increase Canada’s gross national product by more than $18 billion a year. That’s critical research—and a payback that needs to be communicated.
University researchers do not necessarily set out to generate economic wealth. Nor are they guided in most instances by the expectation that their work will lead over the short-term, to new tools, techniques or processes. Rather, they seek to advance knowledge and understanding, nurtured by the support and freedom to pursue the controversial, the unasked, or the seemingly unanswerable questions.
If we value the inevitable fruits of their research, we must support this creative, and by its nature circuitous, exploration of the unknown. At the same time, when this painstaking work results in technical and social advances, we must rise to the challenge of telling the story of how this came to be. Like following a string back through the labyrinth of grants, programs, and partners, we must make the link between initial taxpayer investments and final successes.
Universities perform a third of Canada’s research. It is thus, in significant part, up to the university community to trumpet the story of federally-funded university research from investment to concrete benefit. Simply put, if the public cannot see and truly understand the value of university research, politicians will not support it. The government has invested substantially since 1997 and will continue to explore opportunities to enhance Canada’s R&D capacity. Sustaining this momentum will depend on our success in ensuring that Canadians understand and value the social and economic benefits of this research. Canada’s universities are ready and eager to make sure this story is told.
Claire Morris is President os the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).
The views and ideas expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Canada Foundation for Innovation or its Board Directors and Members.
