Tag Archives: 2016 Canadian Science Policy Conference

2016 Canadian Science Policy Conference started in Ottawa (Canada) today, Nov. 8, 2016

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For those of us following from afar, the 2016 Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC), being held in Ottawa from Nov. 8 – 10, 2016, offers us Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram options, all of which you can find here.

There are a number of symposia sessions this morning, Nov. 8, 2016 (ET) but the conference proper doesn’t seem to get started until the afternoon. Here are a few of the sessions the organizers want to highlight (from a Nov. 4, 2016 CSPC announcement received via email),

CSPC 2016 kicks off with an exciting and informative Keynote Session. The Honorable Dr. Reza Moridi, Ontario Minister of Research, Innovation and Science (left), and Dr. Arthur McDonald, joint winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics (right) will address the significance of fundamental research in economic growth.  This discussion will be moderated by Victoria Kaspi, astrophysicist and a professor at McGill University. This session takes place on Tuesday, November 8 [2016], at 6:30 pm

Our second Keynote Session features Homa Hoodfar, a sociocultural anthropologist and professor emerita of anthropology at Concordia University in Montreal. She was detained while travelling in Iran and spent 112 days in jail there. She will speak on Science, Human Rights and Academic Freedom. This session will begin at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, November 9 [2016].

Plenary Session: Collaboration and Cooperation on the Challenge of Clean Energy: An International Perspective, Wednesday, November 9 [2016], at 8:30 am.

This plenary session brings together perspectives from global leaders in academia, government (Canadian and foreign), and industry. The panel will discuss potential innovative intergovernmental mechanisms that will enable all sectors to work together to bring about a transformation in clean energy S&T.

Plenary Session:  Converging Science: Fostering Innovation through a New Model of Transdisciplinary Research, Thursday, November 10 [2016], at 8:30 am.

This plenary session aims to address the following: identify opportunities and barriers to the convergence of disciplines and fields of research; discuss strategies that could be developed to enable the potential of convergence; and debate the possibility of developing and implementing new strategies and organizational structures that could improve the effectiveness of the Canadian research enterprise.

Panel: Building Capacity for Science Policy In Canada! organized by CSPC, Wednesday Nov 9 [2016], 1:30
We encourage everyone to attend this session and present recommendations and be part of the capacity building in Science Policy in Canada.

This is an interactive session that will discuss the practical recommendations on how to build capacity in science policy the gaps and priorities, and how CSPC can be more effective as a HUB for sharing resources, disseminating knowledge and becoming a Think-Do Tank in Science Policy.

You can still register for the conference, unless you’re a student (that category has sold out). If this is all too precipitate for you, there’s the 2017 CSPC, which for the third year in a row take place in Ottawa when it will celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary.

2016 Canadian Science Policy Conference: supersaver registration ends Sept. 6, 2016

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It’s a little early to be talking about a conference being held in November but if you want to save money, this would be the time to register for the 2016 Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) being held in Ottawa (the nation’s capital) from Nov. 8 -10, 2016. Here’s more about the conference and preconference programmes from an Aug. 25, 2016 notice (received by email),

Pre-conference Events

CSPC 2016 C features several pre-conference opportunities for you to choose from.

A total six of events will take place on Tuesday November 8 [2016], before the CSPC conference. Four symposia and a workshop 8:00 am to 3:00 pm and one roundtable runs from 1 – 3 pm. You can register for these events separately or combine them with your conference registration.

1st Canadian symposium on“Achieving Diversity in STEM, Advancing Innovation,” – organized by Faculty of Science, Ryerson University

2nd National Symposium on “Science Diplomacy” – organized by CSPC

2nd National Symposium on “Evidence-Based Decision Making” – organized by Council of Canadian Academies

1st Canadian Symposium on “Space Policy” – organized by Canadian Space Commerce Association
Workshop: “Science Policy 101” – organized by CSPC“

The Role of Early Career Scientists in Research Policy Development”, as part of 2016 Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research Program, organized by Friends of CIHR (FCIHR)

More information on program page

They are still adding to the programme but here are a few session titles that are available (from the CSPC 2016 program page),

Fertile Ground: How Incubators and Accelerators Drive Innovation / Un terrain fertile : comment les incubateurs et les accélérateurs stimulent l’innovation

Science for diplomacy, have we got what it takes? / La science au service de la diplomatie ; avons-nous ce qu’il faut ?

A Systems-based Approach to Evidence-Based Policy Decision-Making: Skills, Tools & Mindset for Effective Decision Making / Une approche systémique pour la prise de décisions éclairées par des données probantes en matière de politiques : compétences, outil

Driving Innovation through Health Research – the role stemcell & regenerative medicine sector / Impulser l’innovation au moyen de la recherche en santé : le rôle des secteurs des cellules souches et de la médecine régénératrice

Linking Science Producers to Users, A Case Study: Designing a proposed pan-Canadian oil spill research Network of Expertise / L’établissement de liens entre les producteurs et les utilisateurs de la science, une étude de cas : la conception d’un projet pa [sic]

TED Talk Innovation 2: a) Entrepreneurial Skills Training for the New Economy: Case Studies; b) Partnered Innovation: The Role of Colleges in Canada’s Innovation Ecosystem; c) Alberta – The Illusion and Impact of Sustained Prosperity

It’s exciting to see the CSPC grow with a number of new preconference programs and some new directions for the conference program but there are a couple of areas for which there aren’t any sessions (yet?): (a) science communication, (b) risk, and (c) public engagement with emerging technology. I’m particularly concerned with the emerging technology topic,. For example, with the emergence of robots and increasingly sophisticated AI (artificial intelligence) systems, it would be nice to see a session or two devoted to future public policy issues.

I have previously featured the 2016 CSPC in a May 19, 2016 posting about their call for proposals and the conference themes,

From a May 4, 2016 call for proposals (received via email), here are the conference themes and information about submitting ideas,

Here are CSPC 2016 Themes:

A New Culture of Policy Making and Evidence-Based Decision-Making: Horizons and Challenges

A New Innovation Agenda or Canada: What are we building?

Science Funding Review: New Visions and New Directions

Clean Energy and Climate Change as Global Priorities: Implications for Canada?

Canada’s Return to the International Stage: How Can Science Help Foreign Policy?

Super saver registration ends on Sept. 6, 2016 at 11:59 pm EST, presumably.

2016 Canadian Science Policy Conference call for proposals

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Thanks to David Bruggeman’s May 18, 2016 posting on his Pasco Phronesis blog for reminding me of the upcoming Canadian Science Policy Conference,

The 2016 Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC), the eighth such event, will return to the nation’s capital [Ottawa] from November 8-10.  This is the third year the Conference will take place in Ottawa, and the first time it has been held in the same city in consecutive years.  I attended the first conference in 2009, and the event has grown in size and stature every year since.  I’d encourage anyone interested in Canadian science policy, or even in how interested researchers and practitioners form and grow a community, to review previous conferences and consider attending the event.

…

From a May 4, 2016 call for proposals (received via email), here are the conference themes and information about submitting ideas,

Here are CSPC 2016 Themes:

A New Culture of Policy Making and Evidence-Based Decision-Making: Horizons and Challenges

A New Innovation Agenda or Canada: What are we building?

Science Funding Review: New Visions and New Directions

Clean Energy and Climate Change as Global Priorities: Implications for Canada?

Canada’s Return to the International Stage: How Can Science Help Foreign Policy?

To read more click here.

The CSPC 2016 call for panel proposals is now open! We invite proposals in different presentation formats that revolve around any of the above mentioned conference themes. The variety of presentation formats throughout the conference makes it possible for delegates and organizations to share their thoughts, views and experiences in the most convenient manner possible. Proposals of organizations and individuals from across all sectors and disciplines are welcome.The proposals will be reviewed, selected and presented at the next conference. Everyone is invited to participate.

The deadline for submitting your proposal is Friday June 17th 2016. This year CSPC urges the submitters to emphasize a futuristic approach on their proposals, presenting the best solutions to the challenges, while using interactive formats for the panels. A detailed description of the submission criteria and panel formats (streams) can be found here. [There is a discrepancy as of May 19, 2016 the deadline on this page has not been updated]

To submit a panel please click here

Given the titles for four of the five themes, the organizers are very excited about the ‘new’ government and the ‘return’ of the Liberals.

Side note: I’m watching the situation with Prime Minister Trudeau and his recent shoving incident in Parliament’s House of Commons with some interest as I ponder what impact, if any, this may have on more open relations with the media and possible fallout for science and media. For anyone not familiar with the situation, there’s this May 19, 2016 article by Tonya Michaels for Star.com,

Parliament turned downright ugly when an impatient Prime Minister Justin Trudeau crossed the aisle to drag an opposition MP forward so a vote could take place, knocking aside a female NDP [New Democratic Party] MP who was so shaken she had to leave the chamber.

The encounter Wednesday led to a shouting match between Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair after Trudeau briefly crossed the floor a second time appearing to look for someone. Mulcair can be heard on Commons video footage yelling at Trudeau: “What kind of man elbows a woman? You’re pathetic.”

The confrontation took place late in the day prior to a vote on a government bid to limit debate on its assisted suicide bill, with the opposition already furious at another Liberal move to seize control over the parliamentary agenda.

Michaels goes into more detail about the vote and the tension in her article which also hosts an embedded video of the incident. For the record, he did apologize.

*Ooops! I forgot to give this title. Corrected May 19, 2016 2 minutes after first publication.