Amira Abdelrasoul, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, at the University of Saskatchewan, leads investigations into membrane technology that can improve outcomes for people with kidney disease.Supplied
Roseann O’Reilly Runte is president and chief executive officer at The Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Every once in a while, we review our achievements and make resolutions to improve. We do so knowing full well that some global problems are simply beyond our control.
This knowledge may contribute to a sense of futility and explain in part the frustration and expressions of anger which seem to surround us. But we must not give in to such sentiments. Instead we must look to the issues that are within our control.
In the past year, the world has accomplished a lot. The impressive list includes reduced child mortality, the lowest number yet of people in extreme poverty, and the near elimination of polio. These positive results emanate from the work of scientists.
In Canada, it is the same story. And for such results to continue, for Canada to ensure a prosperous future, doubling down on research is essential.
There are dozens of examples of brilliant discoveries of late that have the potential to improve our lives, the environment and the economy. They include progress in treating diseases from cancer, dementia and, most recently, a synthetic aptamer that sticks to viruses, protecting the body from a number of infections. In the area of artificial intelligence, there are new robots for construction projects and faster, more sustainable telecommunications through optics.
Examples of environmental projects include the construction of two structures: one under the Pacific Ocean and the other under the city of Vancouver. They will sequester carbon and thus reduce emissions to the atmosphere. At the same time, kelp is being cultivated along the Northern B.C. coastline. It is both edible and an effective carbon sink, functioning in the same way as trees in forests. Carbon-reduced or carbon-free processes have also been introduced in a variety of products including fava beans. Students, the next generation of researchers, were responsible for two satellites that have been successfully launched and will measure space weather and harmful radiation.
Looking at international work, Triumf, Canada’s particle accelerator centre, led the way with its contributions to an experiment at the Switzerland-based European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, that led to the first direct measurement of gravity’s effect on antimatter.
Research across Canada contributes to resolving global challenges in many fields, safeguarding the health of the population and supporting the creation of urban and rural communities that are safe, vibrant and prosperous places where people of all backgrounds and ages can come together to work and to learn. Research fosters the communities of scientists who work together in labs or on board Canada’s icebreaker Amundsen, but also those who work with and within communities.
A recent study shows that investments made in Estrie, Que., have led a significantly larger percentage of the aging population to remain in their homes.
Research brings the solutions that are essential to business success and contributes to employment by supporting the training of the next generation of highly qualified technicians who will help shape our economy in the years ahead. There are hundreds of examples but here are just two: Jeff Dahn, an expert on batteries, has, with students and graduates of his lab in Halifax, created several companies, one of which has recently been listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. And Stephanie Simmons’s quantum computing company in Vancouver recently attracted more than $100-million in investments.
Other researchers at L’Institut national de la recherche scientifique, or INRS, in Trois-Rivières, Que., use drones to pinpoint the exact location of infestations that would ruin crops, and Jim Willwerth at Brock University in Ontario has effectively analyzed data and used technology to save Niagara vineyards from freezing, contributing many millions of dollars to the economy. Additionally researchers are creating cures, treatments and vaccines that will enable people to live better lives and to be more productive at work.
Research definitely adds to the economy in ways of which we might not immediately think, including the economic benefits of money and workdays saved. Take for example, Nobel laureate Michael Houghton, who is working at the University of Alberta. He notes for example that with the new vaccine he has developed for Hepatitis C, we would save the current treatment costs that run into the billions. This does not include the profit that might be made if we also manufactured the vaccine in Canada and marketed it around the world.
Research is key and has been recognized the world over as the driver for success in attracting industry, creating jobs and revenue. We must spark and attract the innovative enterprises that inevitably cluster around areas of research strength and activity. This is essential if we wish to expand our economy and address the many challenges we face.
But even more, each life we save is a gesture that returns, in small part, a measure of humanity that the world sorely needs and which we, our communities and governments, must resolve to support.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article spelled the name of Jim Willwerth incorrectly. This version has been updated.