Securing our research: Protecting innovation effectively

Universities Canada’s recommendation for Budget 2025

Keeping our research safe is critical, but it shouldn’t burden our researchers with too many administrative tasks. Let’s support our researchers in securing their research while keeping them focused on innovation and solving Canadian challenges.

What’s the issue?

Protecting Canadian research is a top priority for Canadian universities, who have transformed their capacity to safeguard innovation and respond to threats. 

However, these new measures have created extra administrative barriers that slow down Canadian research. They are especially challenging for independent researchers and smaller research teams. When researchers don’t have the time or people to handle that extra work, their time is taken from doing their research, reducing Canada’s research productivity overall.

Why is it important?

Research is critically important to Canada’s productivity. It drives innovation and improves lives not just for Canadians, but worldwide. Think new medicines, clean energy tech and so much more.

Protecting that research is equally important, so everyone can benefit without the risk of theft. But adding those additional administrative hurdles makes it harder for researchers to focus on their work and leads to missed strategic opportunities to advance Canadian research.

These layers of paperwork are quickly growing as more countries follow Canada’s lead in creating their own rules. If we don’t provide our researchers with the proper supports, it will become harder for Canada to bring in knowledge and experts from global partners.

Even within Canada, a research partnership between Ontario and Alberta now requires up to three layers of research security paperwork and ongoing reporting.

Our recommendations

We think Canada can protect Canadian research without pulling researchers away from their important work. We need to bolster Canada’s research security funds to help them navigate increasingly complicated requirements.

We also need a dedicated $2 million fund to help smaller universities and research teams implement security standards and meet government requirements so they can continue to carry out research that benefit the communities they serve. 

What is the pre-budget submission?

Every year, as the Government of Canada looks to set its budget, Universities Canada provides information on the biggest issues facing universities and solutions to help universities and Canadians thrive. Read more of our recommendations to government in our pre-budget submission.