N.S. government outlines priority areas for research funding

Nova Scotia's advanced education minister has outlined the sectors he wants the provincial agency responsible for research to prioritize, and he wants proof his government is getting bang for its buck.

A document from the department of Advanced Education Minister Brendan Maguire breaks the priorities for Research Nova Scotia into three categories: natural resources, climate change and clean energy; life sciences and health sciences; and construction and transportation.

According to the agency's website, "the connection between research supported and economic benefit will need to be tangible and demonstrable."

"Researchers and Research N.S. will need to show how the research they are conducting and funding is contributing to measurable changes in these [economic] outcomes in their reporting."

Research Nova Scotia gets an annual transfer of about $4.6 million from the province. In the past five years, however, it's received an additional $50 million to help secure additional funding partners. Funding commitments from Research Nova Scotia have ranged from $10 million to $20 million a year, according to officials.

Changes connected to Bill 12

Maguire was not made available for an interview, but the directive from his department provides greater detail about changes first laid out in Bill 12, omnibus legislation the Progressive Conservative government introduced and passed during the recent winter session of the legislature.

Although the bulk of the attention the bill received related to changes to universities, the legislation also included amendments to the Research Nova Scotia Corporation Act that give the minister of advanced education discretion to determine the province's key research priorities for the agency.

"This ensures that research priorities will now be directly communicated from the minister to Research Nova Scotia, guiding funding decisions," according to a government information sheet dated May 1.

The act requires Research Nova Scotia officials to "develop and implement a strategic plan for how the priorities will be advanced through research."

"For further clarity, all activities and funding provided by the corporation must align to the research priorities, as provided by the minister."

The minister's directive also includes objectives and examples of research areas for each of the three priority sectors.

Natural resources, climate change and clean energy:

• The objectives include ensuring "growth in sustainable and responsible development" of natural resources; strengthening exploration, mining, midstream processing of critical minerals and clean technologies; addressing the province's climate change needs and advancing clean energy solutions.
• Examples of research include resilient and efficient supply chains; sustainable mining practices and resource management; exploration, extraction, processing and recycling of critical minerals, including lithium and uranium; renewable energy technologies; carbon capture and storage; environmental science; oceans technology; and electrification and energy storage. 

Life sciences and health sciences:

• The objectives include improving health outcomes for humans, plants and animals, advancing the delivery of health care through research and learning by doing, and developing new methods to create materials, foods and other products using bioprocesses.
• Examples of research include medical technology, animal and plant health and innovation, biomaterials and bioproducts, artificial intelligence in health-care settings, oceans technology and food security and self-sufficiency.

Construction and transportation:

• The objectives are to improve infrastructure to support population growth and increase the efficiency of movement of people and products.
• Research examples include sustainable and resilient construction technology, materials science, cellular and internet networks, innovative building materials, and urban and rural transportation solutions.

'Overarching outcomes'

The document setting out the provincial research priorities also outlines "overarching outcomes" the government expects to achieve through its funding. There are seven key outcomes that fit into two groupings:

• Provincial productivity: "Increase technology development, uptake and use; increase knowledge and innovation diffusion into industry; and increased investment in tradable sectors and expansion of exports."

• Provincial economic growth: "Enhance commercialization of research, including retention and deployment of Nova Scotia intellectual property in the province; increase the number of highly-qualified personnel employed in Nova Scotia; increase investment in research and development in key sectors; and increase to [the] provincial GDP."

According to the document, achieving these outcomes will require leveraging funding from other sources, such as the federal government, the private sector and through philanthropy.