About the Government of Canada – Universities Working Group

To build a strong economy and improve the lives of all Canadians, we need a research environment that is open and collaborative. Canada is committed to open and collaborative research and science. Exchanges of faculty, students, and knowledge contribute to building the linkages and competencies Canada needs to be an innovative, knowledge-based society and economy.

We know it is a shared responsibility to ensure that Canadians continue to benefit from our significant investments in research. This is why universities, government departments, the federal granting councils, and national security agencies are regularly in contact as part of ongoing engagement activities, and collaborate to ensure research security.

A joint Government of Canada-Universities Working Group was established to advance open and collaborative research in a way that also safeguards research and maximizes benefits to Canadians. The group has been meeting regularly and the Safeguarding Your Research portal is an important channel for disseminating key results of this work.

The Working Group includes members from the Government of Canada, the university community, and the associations that represent them, as follows:

  • Canada Foundation for Innovation;
  • Canadian Centre for Cyber Security;
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research;
  • Canadian Security Intelligence Service;
  • Global Affairs Canada;
  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada;
  • the National Research Council;
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council;
  • Public Safety Canada;
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council;
  • U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities;
  • Universities Canada; and
  • Vice-Presidents of Research.