Canadian researchers have largely gotten what they wanted in the country’s 2024 budget: a significant increase in graduate stipends and additional funding for research and scientific infrastructure.
As reported by Nature, “We are investing over five billion dollars in Canadian talent,” said Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Minister of Finance, during her budget speech on April 16. “Increased research funding and scholarships will help Canada attract the next generation of game-changing thinkers.”
For the past two years, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have been calling for improved compensation. They asked for increases in the amount and number of government scholarships, and they received more than they requested—Master's stipends will rise from CAD 17,500 (USD 12,700) per year to USD 27,000, PhD stipends will uniformly be set at USD 40,000 per year, up from a range of USD 20,000 to USD 35,000, and most postdoctoral salaries will increase from USD 45,000 per year to USD 70,000. The number of scholarships and research grants will also increase over time, adding approximately 1,720 per year after five years.
“We are very excited about this change; it represents the largest investment in graduate and postdoctoral researchers in 21 years,” said Kaitlin Kharas, a PhD student at the University of Toronto. “It will directly support the next generation of researchers.”
While only a small percentage of students and postdocs will receive these funds, other funders tend to take it as a guideline.
Kharas noted that many graduate students have considered leaving Canada to pursue their scientific careers due to low wages, so this funding should help retain talent in the country.
“This will shift us from a significant talent drain to a talent attraction situation, enabling us to compete on the global stage,” stated Chad Gaffield, CEO of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities.
The budget also includes significant support for fundamental research. Over the next five years, the three federal granting councils will receive an additional USD 1.8 billion in core funding, with USD 400 million allocated for upgrading Vancouver's TRIUMF particle accelerator, among other funds for several large facilities and institutes across Canada. The artificial intelligence sector in Canada will also receive over USD 2 billion in investments.
“This budget really shows Canada's determination to thrive in science and research in the 21st century,” said Gaffield.
The budget has also made some changes to how scientific funding is organized. Now, there is only one program with three levels of funding—Master's, PhD, and postdoctoral—instead of the previous ten different programs.
Additionally, the Canadian government will create a new research funding organization to better coordinate the work of the three granting councils and “help advance international cooperation, multidisciplinary and mission-driven research.” A Science and Innovation Advisory Council will also be established, consisting of leaders from academia, industry, and the nonprofit sector, to develop a national science and innovation strategy to guide priority setting and increase the impact of federal funding.
Gaffield added, “This will help us support Canadian research in a more efficient, well-coordinated, and flexible manner.”
