Development of a Provincial Health Research Strategy

Envisioning the Future

Health researchers are an essential component of the province’s health system and an increasingly important resource for the province’s health industries.  A hospitable environment is essential for attracting and retaining these health scientists and a recent announcement of additional provincial funding for health research from the Government of Manitoba gives the community a large boost.  The announcement, a doubling of the annual budget of the Manitoba Health Research Council to $6 million, will enhance the council’s current slate of programs and lead to the creation of new programs that will develop, attract and retain internationally recognized researchers and clinician scientists that will eventually lead to better health services and the improved health of Manitobans. 

The MHRC was established by the provincial government in 1982 to promote the growth and co-ordination of the health research enterprise in Manitoba.  Over the years, the Council has largely fulfilled its mandate by providing funding to researchers and trainees through its capacity building programs.  Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows received awards to fund their training, encouraging a number to stay and establish their careers in Manitoba.  Independent scientists early in their careers or new to Manitoba were funded to help establish their research programs enabling them to win national and international funding for their research.

But the Council’s funding levels remained stagnant or declined over its 25 year history and various attempts at strategic planning were made to encourage a greater funding commitment from the Government of Manitoba.  It wasn’t until 2005 that we began to see Manitoba’s relatively high position in health research funding put at risk by competition from researchers in province’s whose governments had made deliberate and strategic investments into their health research community. 

During the fall of 2005, to help rectify the challenges and bring clarity to health research in Manitoba, the Government of Manitoba requested that the MHRC lead the community in the development of a provincial strategy for health research.  A province-wide planning process was conducted beginning with the Creating our Future summit, a conference held in May 2006 that was attended by 140 people representing the five estates of health research – academe, business, not for profit organizations, health care deliver sector and government. 

During the Summit, participants recommended four strategic actions which would increase the competitiveness and effectiveness of the health research community:

1. Establish the Manitoba Health Research Council as a coordinating body for health research in Manitoba.
2. Recruit, retain and support the best research faculty.
3. Facilitate research networks, linkages and communication.
4. Move research evidence into practice. 

Stakeholders also identified two essential conditions which would have to be met in order to successfully implement the recommended actions:

1. Increased funding – A two staged approach with an immediate increase in MHRC’s budget to $6 million and a second increase, incumbent on partner contributions, to the total annual funding of $20 million. 
2. Collaboration – MHRC must provide leadership for effective partnerships among the stakeholders.

The Envisioning the Future strategy was presented to the Government of Manitoba in the fall of 2006 and their recent announcement of increased funding for MHRC is the first in a series of announcements we hope to see in the coming years.  

Contact Information

Dr. Jim Davie, Executive Director
Manitoba Health Research Council
P216-770 Bannatyne Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3E 0W3

t. (204) 772-1072
f. (204) 786-5401
e. jim.davie@mhrc.mb.ca