Neurological Research Funding i n Canada Henry B. Dinsdale, M D The editorial titled The Precarious Position of Neurological Clinical Investigation, by D r Fred Plum (Ann Neurol 2:359-363, 1977), prompted m e to review the figures for support of comparable categories by the Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC). T h e situation in Canada proves 10be similar to that in the United States, as is evident from the Table, which compares the 1974 and 1978 figures for grants and grantees. T h e 1978 figures include 167 grantees (60%) from the 1974 group, consisting of 51 MDs, 31 MD/PhDs, and 85 PhDs. The 107 new people on the 1978 list consist of 26 MDs, 6 MDIPhDs, and ?5 PhDs. (The figure for operating grants includes group grants which support more than one investigator; this accounts for the differences between the number of grants and number of grantees.) It is encouraging to find that many individuals listed as Fellows (research trainees) in 1974 were grantees in 1978, but the shift away from clinically trained investigators referred to in the Annals editorial is present in Canada also. From the Division of Neurology, Queen’s University, 78 Barrie K7L 3J7.

S t , Kingston, Ont, Canada

1 would point out to American readers, when comparing the average size of operating grants, that research funds in Canada ordinarily are not required to operate research hospital beds and related clinical facilities. Furthermore, in contrast to the policy of the National Institutes of Health, investigators d o not receive funds in support of personal salaries from operating grants; MRC salary support for investigators is provided through a separate personnel support program. The editorial message to investigators to campaign actively on behalf of research is one that has also reached the Canadian scientific community in recent months. Furthermore, some of our Members of Parliament now appear to appreciate the need for research and development in all aspects of science and industry; such R&D is especially crucial for Canadian industry, which has a large branchplant segment. But it rakes unusual persuasion to translace that attitude into government dollars in the current fiscal climate. An interesting phenomenon in Canada is the continuing and impressive growth of contributions by the public to nongovernment agencies that support targeted medical research, such as the Heart and Cancer Foundations. Those foundations have seen a growth in public donations which I believe is considerably greater (with a few exceptions) than that experienced during the past few years by bodies in the United States.

Comparattve Grant Figures for Neurolcience Support by the Medical Research Council of Cariada for the Years 1974 and 1978 Factor

1974

1978

% Difference

Total MRC fundinga Total MRC funding for neurosciences Total no. of operating grants Average grant award Total no. of grants to M D investigators Fellowships to MDs Neuroscience P h D graduates M D graduates in Canada

$42,860,000 $4,584 27 1 $17,233 162 23 178 1,475

$63,002,000 $7,876

+47 +7 1.8 - 3.0 +77.9 -18.5 -4.4 +lo.? + 18.1

263 $30,650 132 22 197 1.742

a N o overhead costs are included.

Notes and Letters

209

Neurological research funding in Canada.

Neurological Research Funding i n Canada Henry B. Dinsdale, M D The editorial titled The Precarious Position of Neurological Clinical Investigation, b...
78KB Sizes 0 Downloads 0 Views