Key Messages

Canada is entering a critical time in its development. We must identify and capitalize on our strengths to help create a stable, healthy future. Science and innovation hold the greatest promise for producing long-term benefits, such as a highly skilled workforce, new intellectual property and entrepreneurial opportunities.

In 2007, the Government of Canada announced a new S&T Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage. Each of CIHR's 13 Institutes is helping realize the priorities identified in the S&T Strategy and the sub-priorities identified by the Science, Technology and Innovation Council.

One of those sub-priorities is regenerative medicine. This field of research, along with nanomedicine, holds the potential to dramatically change the way we diagnose and treat disease. As you will read in these pages, researchers across the country have already begun to translate advances in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine into innovative health solutions for Canadians.

Dr. Alain Beaudet
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

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"Canadian medical researchers are at the forefront of regenerative medicine. The window of opportunity is open to create a tremendous new industry in Canada and to improve the health and quality of life of our citizens. That's why Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation Council advised the Government of Canada, and the latter agreed, that regenerative medicine is a key theme, or sub-priority, within the Government's Science and Technology Strategy."

Dr. Howard Alper
Chair, Science, Technology and Innovation Council

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"Integrating new technologies into health research that have not previously been applied has been a fundamental success of RMNI. This achievement has been driven heavily by the physical and applied sciences community. A challenge for CIHR will be to ensure that our efforts build on these early successes that hold the promise of significant social and economic benefit for Canada."

Dr. Roderick McInnes
Scientific Director, CIHR's Institute of Genetics

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"The advantage of a wide-ranging and flexible multi-partnered initiative like RMNI is the ability to rapidly respond to changing needs and priorities - both from our funding partners and from the research community itself. Supporting dialogue and interactions at all levels of the research enterprise is key to translating research excellence into meaningful health benefits."

Dr. Eric Marcotte
Associate Director, CIHR Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Initiative (RMNI)

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"Canada is in a truly unique position. By combining regenerative medicine and nanomedicine in a single large initiative, CIHR has fostered collaborations not only between all types of health researchers and physical science experts but also with sociologists, philosophers, ethicists and regulators for approval of novel products. But to fully benefit from their leadership, Canada must now invest even more significantly in large teams that aim to solve important health problems by harnessing the unique opportunities offered by regenerative medicine and nanomedicine. Are we all up to the challenge?"

Dr. Rémi Quirion
Inaugural Scientific Director, CIHR's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction