News Release
The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is pleased to announce it will undertake two new assessments beginning this spring.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion practices in the postsecondary research system
The diversity of a team can help drive and shape research questions, methods, and perspectives. Studies have found that researchers from groups that are underrepresented in their discipline tend to be more innovative and discover new conceptual linkages, and that gender diversity may lead to better science. Despite efforts to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) by postsecondary research organizations across Canada, individuals from groups that have been marginalized continue to be underrepresented.
This assessment will examine evidence-based measures that organizations in Canada and abroad are implementing to achieve EDI in research and academia.
Sponsors: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Canada Foundation for Innovation; Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada; National Research Council Canada; and Health Canada
Technologies for Canadian Food Security
The food system in Canada is facing a range of issues that affect the accessibility and affordability of food. Canada has struggled to adopt alternative food production methods to respond to these challenges, but ensuring Canada’s agricultural sector remains innovative and competitive will be critical for feeding a growing population. Increasing local food production in a sustainable manner requires new approaches, including innovative atypical food production methods that address specific Canadian needs and challenges.
This assessment will examine the areas of advancement (and related investment) in atypical food production that have the greatest potential to help Canada achieve national food security within the next two decades.
Sponsor: National Research Council Canada
Both assessments are funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Multidisciplinary expert panels will be appointed in the coming months for these assessments with report releases anticipated in 2024-25.