Four universities call for measures to attract foreign researchers

In a press release Saturday morning, Université Laval, McGill University, Université de Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke said that at a time when “political and social tensions are undermining the global research ecosystem,” Quebec and Canada have an opportunity to position themselves as a haven for research.

“We are calling on governments to take swift action to seize the opportunities created by this unstable environment, for the benefit of Quebec and Canada. Other countries, particularly in Europe, have already invested significant resources in their universities to attract talent from around the world,” said Eugénie Brouillet, Vice-Rector, Research, Creation and Innovation at Université Laval, in the same document.

The four universities have circulated proposals that include both a Quebec and a federal component.

Global competition

According to Vincent Poitout, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation at the Université de Montréal, there is a window of opportunity to transform a very regrettable situation in science, particularly in the United States, into an opportunity for Canada.

The goal is to reposition Canada as a superpower in research and innovation and to restore its place among the world leaders,” Poitout told The Canadian Press. “Canada has to make the most of the moment, and the moment isn’t necessarily going to last very long (…) It’s a global competition, so the time to do it is now.”

The educational establishments are first suggesting creating new research chairs in strategic sectors, such as artificial intelligence, health and biodiversity, as well as offering targeted grants to recruit talented doctoral and post-doctoral students.

The universities are also proposing to support researchers at the start of their careers and to invest in modern research infrastructures.

“Our aim is to say to governments: ‘Well, listen, if you really want to take advantage of this opportunity and do something about it, we think these are the most important aspects,'” added Vincent Poitout.

He stresses that the approach taken by the four Quebec universities is not aimed solely at the province’s universities, but at all Canadian universities.

For Poitout, one of the sine qua non conditions for the success of Polaris is the rapid processing of immigration applications for researchers wishing to come to Canada.

“The resources we are going to invest in this initiative must be accompanied by facilitating elements to make it happen,” added Vincent Poitout.

The press release states that, “While some of the proposals target researchers based in the United States, and in particular Quebecers and Canadians who are pursuing their careers there, the initiatives aim to attract talent from around the world by ‘offering them an unparalleled space for freedom of thought, scientific rigour, innovation and creativity to advance their research.”

Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has announced major cuts in various fields of research, including health. Four Quebec universities are calling on the governments of Quebec and Canada to introduce measures to attract foreign researchers, in a “global context marked by geopolitical instability.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews