Fonds de recherche du Québec - Nature and technologies Maryse Lassonde Scientific Director The Conference Board of Canada November 5, 2013 The Next Generation of Researchers, Central to our Actions

Post-Secondary Education Of crucial importance for a developed society like Canada. Knowledge transfer and training of individuals will contribute to tomorrow’s society. A competent and qualified skilled labour force, in tune with the needs of society. The importance of developing a scientific culture → the PNRI (Quebec National research and innovation policy). 2

The Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) Quebec Chief Scientist: Rémi Quirion FRQS- Health Sciences Scientific Director: Renaldo Battista FRQSC- Social Sciences Scientific Director: Normand Labrie FRQNT- Natural Sciences and Engineering Scientific Director: Maryse Lassonde

The FRQ Mission with a Focus on New Researchers To fund and promote university and college research. Programs aimed at new generations of researchers. Close to 4000 master’s and doctoral students funded in New researchers: a priority for the renewal of ideas, approaches and expertise. 4

FRQ Research Funding: A Global Portrait Budget : $196,3M Research Funding Agencys’s Annual Reports More thant 1,000 Research Projects College’s Researchers Partnership projects Innovation networks Team’s projects Career Awards Reviews Etc… Infrastructure of Clusters 238 Research Centres, Networks, Groups, Institutes, etc. $80,7M 41% $76,6M 39% The New Generation 3,659 Scholarships (Master’s, Ph.D. and Post-doc 990 Start-up funding for new researchers $39M 20%

6 Future Generations of Researchers As granting agencies, the three Fonds de recherche du Québec are committed to promoting discussion and debate around the issue of the training of future generations of Québec researchers. April 30, 2013: A one-day symposium on research training. 95 participants from universities and colleges. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, representatives of student federations and associations, government ministries and public agencies.

General Findings about postgraduate studies Stabilization of graduate enrolment of Québec students → due to demographic changes. Average length of study at the master’s level is particularly long. Dropout rates for doctoral studies are high. Doctoral programs are long and intensive. Necessity of acquiring cross-disciplinary skills in addition to scientific expertise. 7

Some Quebec Contextual Elements Student enrolment Graduation rates Foreign students Situation of women in NSE Job market 8

Student Enrolment: Perspectives 9

Evolution of Student Enrolment in NSE in Québec Universities 10

Graduation Rates Slow-down in the growth of master’s and doctoral graduation rates → R&D performance indicator. The PhD graduation rate in Canada is lower than the OECD average (Jenkins report (2008 data) and Education at a Glance 2012 (2010 data)). Wide disparity between different Canadian provinces: Québec has the highest PhD graduation rate in Canada. The Québec rate for 2010 is 1.5%, higher than the Canadian rate (1.2%). The PhD graduation rate in Québec (1.5%) is close to the OECD average (1.6%) for

Graduation Rates Graduation rates for Québec students: 74.0% at the master’s level and 61.4% at the doctoral level. ( data, Indicateurs de l’éducation 2012, MESRST) The proportion of university graduates in NSE is around 30% at the undergraduate and master’s levels, and between 50% and 60% at the doctoral level. (OST 2010) 12

Foreign Students Foreign students represented 21.8% of full-time students at the master’s level and 30.1% at the doctoral level in The increase in the number of foreign students over the next 10 years is estimated at 31% at the master’s level (+1150 students) and 68 % at the doctoral level (+1980 students). (Prévisions du MELS, June 2011) The percentage of foreign students is higher in NSE (43.7% at the doctoral level, 37.5% at the master’s level). (MESRST, GDEU September 2013 for autumn 2012) Attracting foreign students is a priority for Québec and Canadian universities. Higher graduation rates are increasingly dependent on attracting foreign students. 13

Underrepresentation of women in NSE ⅓ of registrations. Economic impact: low retention of female students leads to annual losses of 3 billion dollars (United Kingdom). Proportion of women at different academic levels in Canada. 14 Source: Council of Canadian Academies, 2012

Labour Market Need for workers with the knowledge and expertise to fill jobs requiring scientific and technological skills. Demands versatility and adaptability → acquired through a collaborative and multidisciplinary research training environment. ⅓ of doctoral graduates pursue an academic career; ⅔ work in industrial and public R&D or other professions. The unemployment rate for PhD graduates was lower than that of Québec’s active population, at 5.5% compared with 9.3%, in Men had a higher unemployment rate than women (6.8% vs. 4.4%). 15

Labour Market Employers are unaware of the skills acquired by students through research training; companies do not recognize the benefits of investing in research and innovation. Industry could play a greater role in the definition of training needs. 16

A new generation of researchers Once fully trained, the new generation of researchers will take its place within colleges, universities, government ministries and businesses. In its next strategic plan, the FRQNT intends to address the issue of attracting a new generation of researchers. 17

A new generation of researchers Begin the introduction to research at the college and undergraduate levels. → Acquire skills and experience Pay particular attention to encouraging female researchers Boost the development of a new generation in all NSE fields. Increase support for internships in the workplace to facilitate the integration of new researchers into the workforce. Foster the mobility of NSE students. Sustain efforts to attract the best foreign students. 18

Industrial Innovation Scholarship BMP Innovation Program offered jointly by FRQNT and NSERC; provides an alternative to traditional university education. Objectives: To foster the development of companies' innovation capacity and to improve employment prospects for recent graduates of master's and doctoral programs through university-industry partnerships: by enabling students to acquire experience, as well as personal and employment skills; by developing innovative training initiatives; by building networks of collaboration and knowledge-transfer; by encouraging companies to invest in training and R&D; and by contributing to increased innovation in key sectors of the various regions in Quebec. Value: Master’s: NSERC: $7,000 + FQRNT: $7,000 + Private: minimum $7,000 = $21,000 or more per year Doctoral: NSERC: $9,000 + FQRNT: $9,000 + Private: minimum $9,000 = $27,000 or more per year 19 New scholarships awarded in Master’sDoctoralTotal SME Large companies26632 Non-profit organizations9413 Government agencies246 Total622991

Accelerate Québec – FRQNT- MITACS Objective To provide an opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to apply their specialized expertise to business research challenges. Value Each 4-month internship project receives $15,000 in direct funding, with the partner organization and Mitacs each providing $7,500. Renewable. It is required that the intern receive a stipend of a minimum of $10,000 of the total grant per 4-month internship; any remaining funds will be used to support research related to the internship. In : 20 Program administered by Mitacs (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems). Number of internships Nature and technology Society and culture Health Total Master’s Doctoral Postdoctoral Total428 internships13 internships85 internships 526 internships 258 students

In addition, with the PNRI... Increase the number of internships: At the college level At the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels → with NSERC Build new programs with Mitacs. Establish an industrial research fellowship program. 21

Centre for Skills and Post-Secondary Education Great initiative of the Conference Board of Canada in the current context. Importance of tracking PSE with studies. Importance of building a national strategy for PSE. The participation of Québec universities and agencies should increase in the future. 22

Thank you for your attention! 23