Canada to block research funding to protect IP
Move is aimed at protecting sensitive innovation areas | Focus is on researchers with ties to foreign governments that threaten national interests.
In a bid to protect Canadian IP, the country’s government has instructed federal grant-making officials and an innovation foundation to introduce new restrictions on funding.
Yesterday, on February 14, the government announced restrictions on research grants that aim to block funding for projects in a sensitive research area if any of the researchers working on the project have ties to foreign governments that pose a national security risk.
The policy, which will be implemented rapidly according to the government, will restrict funding if a researcher is affiliated with a university, research institute or laboratory connected to military, national defence or state security entities of foreign state actors that threaten national interests.
Universities Canada and the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities have also been urged to follow similar guidelines for all their research partnerships, in particular those partnerships involving sensitive research areas.
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health asked the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada’s federal research granting councils to adopt this “further enhanced posture regarding national security”.
“This new action is one of many significant steps the government of Canada is taking to protect our country, our institutions and our intellectual property,” said the officials.
The Canadian government has also developed guidelines, in consultation with the government of Canada–universities working group, to support due diligence on potential risks to research security. A research security centre has also been established to provide advice and guidance directly to research institutions.
“Our government takes its responsibility to protect Canadian research very seriously. Canada’s advanced research ecosystem is at the forefront of global discovery, but it can also be an attractive target for foreign state actors that pose a risk to our national security.
“We have made great strides in protecting Canada’s research ecosystem, but with a constantly evolving threat environment, further action is needed,” added the officials.
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