CSPC 2019

Organized by: The Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC)

This pre-conference symposium focuses on strategies, actions, and perspectives related to acting toward greater equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in Canadian research, science and policy. While we continue to face systemic barriers to inclusion, it is an exciting time to tackle challenges given the recent launch of the Dimensions Charter. Hear from the Tri-agencies, researchers, and policymakers as they discuss how to advance EDI across sectors. The first portion of the symposium will focus on dismantling barriers to inclusion. The second portion will feature strategies and takeaways for embedding EDI into policy and practice using social science and collaboration.


AGENDA

8:00 - 8:10am: Land acknowledgment; Introduction by Eden Hennessey
8:15 – 9:00 am: How Can Multiple Layers of Society Collaborate to Dismantle Barriers to Gender Equity in STEM? (including Q&A)
Chair: Eleanor Haine-Bennett
Speakers: Sandra Corbeil, Brittany Grimsdale, Liette Vasseur
9:05 - 10:25 am: Minority integration into the Canadian STEM Workforce (including summary of findings)
Chair: Bhairavi Shankar, Krishana Sankar
Speakers: Ana Sofia Barrows, Vanessa Sung, Roopali Chaudhary, Ryan Anderson
10:25 – 10:40 am Coffee Break
10:40 - 11:30 am: Better Together: Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Dialogue among Scientists, Social Scientists, and Policymakers & Tri-Agency Panel: The Dimensions Charter and working on EDI across agency sectors (including Q&A).
Chair: Eden Hennessey
Speakers: Imogen Coe, Mahadeo Sukhai, Jessica Kolopenuk, Karine Morin, Tammy Clifford
*social science informing tri-agency work in EDI
*
11:35 - 11:45am - Summary of recommendations by Eden Hennessey and Chairs (Karine Morin, Eleanor Haine-Bennett, Krishana Sankar)

Panel Organized by: Colleges and Institutes Canada | National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations / Collèges et instituts Canada | L'alliance canadienne des organismes provinciaux de la recherche en santé  

Canada needs to balance its recent investments in skills and innovation to ensure they work together to build the research capacity and job skills needed today, and yet prepare us as a nation for the innovation challenges we will face tomorrow. This panel will present various approaches to building regional research and innovation capacity through collaborations between government programs, research funding agencies, industry associations and post- secondary education institutions. The audience will be engaged by facilitator-led small group discussions to shed light on the innovation capacity building challenges identified by the participants either in their community or sector of expertise.

Panel Organized by: FACIT 

FACIT, an Ontario business accelerator focused on oncology innovations, and its strategic partner, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), have laid the foundation for an innovation commercialization pathway through public-private-partnerships (PPPs). In early 2019, FACIT and one of its portfolio companies, Triphase Accelerator, announced a historic $1B USD partnership with Celgene for an OICR-discovered blood cancer therapy. This transaction demonstrates the realization of a “discovered and developed” commercialization pathway created by Ontario partners over the last decade. The panel will discuss how this pathway came to fruition and illustrate the importance of PPPs to generate meaningful innovation outcomes.

Panel Organized by: UK Research and Innovation

As stated in Canada’s 2017 Naylor report, “research is a global enterprise”. International collaboration not only allows the best to work with best, but also access to unique environments and facilities, and permits research to be conducted at scale. This panel will address the issue of how funders contribute to the internationalisation efforts of their national research systems, from the unique perspective of speakers who have spent time based in a partner country in order to support their agency’s global engagement. The panel will illustrate their points with case studies and share information on collaborative opportunities for the research community.

Panel Organized by: Christina Stachulak and Nicole Arbour, National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches du Canada

This panel examines the development/evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the opportunities and challenges to bring novel products to society and markets. Presentations will focus on case studies for the application of AI assisted design, in the context of industry 4.0 and global grand challenges. It will also look at the challenges and opportunities of bringing AI to market in a responsible way, using the strong Canada-UK bilateral relationship in AI as an example of an open dialogue on the policy and regulatory frameworks relevant to bringing AI products to market.

Panel Organized by: Dr. Urs Obrist, Senior Science and Technology Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland in Canada / Ambassade de la Suisse

This panel sets out to discuss key scientific activities of the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, France, and Norway in the Arctic region. It will delineate current bilateral scientific co-operations with Canada and within the multilateral Arctic Council framework. It aims to elucidate and discuss the role of science diplomacy for Arctic research and its relevance in the context of climate change. Possibilities of further cooperation may be evaluated and funding questions addressed.

• Translating Research to Impact Policy – Our Journey in Concussion Policy in Canada / Appliquer la recherche pour forger les politiques – Notre parcours dans la politique sur les commotions cérébrales au Canada
• Mobilizing Change from Within: A Case Study on Gender Equity and Internal Research Funding / Mobiliser le changement à l'interne : une étude de cas sur l'équité entre les sexes et le financement de la recherche internationale
• Global Governance and Emerging 'High-Risk' Technologies / Gouvernance mondiale et technologies émergentes à haut risque
• Wikipedia Editing & Edit-A-Thons: A Form of Science Advocacy / Révision et Rédact-o-thons Wikipedia : une forme de promotion des sciences
• Journal of Science Policy & Governance: Engaging Students & Early Career Researchers in S&T policy / Journal of Science Policy & Governance : Mobiliser les étudiants et les chercheurs en début de carrière en politique scientifique et technologique
  
• Why pro-LGBT policies can turn out to be Innovation policies? Evidence-based arguments to support diversity in Canada. / Pourquoi les politiques pro-LGBT peuvent-elles s'avérer être des politiques en matière d'innovation? Arguments fondés sur des données probantes pour appuyer la diversité au Canada.

Panel Organized by: Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation / Ingenium – Musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada

We are all born with a natural instinct to learn and explore. Self-led and experiential learning are powerful tools for education, as they promote personal reflection and a deeper connection with the world. Panelists will explore programs which design fun, immersive opportunities for young people to enjoy learning by doing. How can we scaffold self-directed learning to encourage the development of skills that young people will need in the future? And how can these approaches to learning empower the youth of today to tackle the biggest challenges in the world, such as climate change, food security and space exploration?