Canadian researchers protest reforms to federal funding agency's review process

Over 1000 researchers in Canada are protesting the changes in the grant assessment system rolled out by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), a federal funding agency that supports biomedical research in Canada. Many prominent Canadian researchers have joined the remonstration because they believe it will thwart the scientific progress of the country.  

In 2011, CIHR implemented some major changes to the grant funding streams, grant writing process, and the peer review process of grant assessment. While all the changes are being perceived in a negative light, the shift in the review process has attracted the harshest criticism. Previously, grant applications were reviewed by 53 discipline-based expert panelists in person. However, CIHR replaced this with a new online system wherein all applications will be assessed by 140 researchers virtually through an internet chat room. According to the proponents, this would give multidisciplinary projects a greater chance for approval and reduce reviewer fatigue.

However, in an open letter sent to the Minister of Health Jane Philpott, the critics of these reforms have demanded the government to reverse these changes with immediate effect. The research professionals who signed the letter have pointed out that CIHR canceled two funding competitions due to tight funding, which resulted in numerous health researchers applying for the 2015 grant competition. The letter claims that despite the warnings from critics, CIHR failed to recruit an adequate number of reviewers who were adequately competent. Resultantly, the review process was not smooth and applicants were not able to resubmit their proposals. “There was essentially a degradation in the overall quality of the review process,” complained Jim Woodgett, director of research at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, who drafted the letter.  

To tackle the situation, the Canadian researchers want CIHR to revert to the peer review system prior to the reforms and get the new process assessed by international experts. The critics also wish their representative group to meet with Philpott to discuss the problems and resolve them. Meanwhile, reacting to the criticism, CIHR’s President Alain Beaudet stated that, “The impact of this underfunding has been erroneously interpreted by some as resulting from the reforms, which in turn has increased the angst amongst stakeholders.” Philpott has assured the researchers that an advisory panel launched by the minister of science will address the concerns regarding the CIHR reforms.

References:

Scientists protest in frustration over federal research funding chaos

In Canada, outraged health researchers demand end to peer-review changes

Scientists urge health minister to stop 'failed experiment' at CIHR