Canada Research Coordinating Committee Welcomes Alejandro Adem as Chair

From: Canada Research Coordinating Committee

The Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) is pleased to welcome Alejandro Adem, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), as Chair, effective January 1, 2021. The CRCC advances federal research priorities and coordination within the federal science funding system to better meet the current and future needs of Canada’s scientists, scholars and students.

The Chair position rotates annually between the presidents of the three federal research funding agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), NSERC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). As part of the 2021 rotation, Ted Hewitt, President of SSHRC, will become Vice-chair.

The CRCC members would like to thank the outgoing Chair, Michael Strong, President of CIHR, for his leadership in 2020.

“I want to thank my CRCC colleagues and the member organizations for their support during this unprecedented year, in advancing CRCC priorities while adjusting quickly to support Canada’s research response to COVID-19,” said Strong. “In a short time, we announced coordinated, rapid-response calls for research to fight COVID-19, and launched the Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund to sustain the research enterprise. The outcomes of these collective efforts highlight the value of working together to address emerging issues rapidly while keeping our focus on core priorities that strengthen Canada’s diverse research ecosystem.”

CRCC member agencies and departments extend a warm welcome to Adem as the new CRCC Chair, and look forward to working with him on CRCC initiatives that benefit Canada’s research community and the well-being of all Canadians.

“I would like to thank Michael Strong for his leadership in mobilizing Canadian research during a remarkably challenging year,” said Adem. “I welcome the opportunity to continue working with him, our CRCC colleagues, and their organizations, at a time when the vitality and contributions of Canadian research, in all fields, are more essential than ever.”