Take Note
A Message from the President ...
March 5, 2010
Dear colleagues:
Update: first meeting of the Board of Directors of Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions
Alberta Innovates –Health Solutions’ newly appointed Board of Directors met for the second time on February 23 (first face to face meeting).
The seven member board, chaired by Robert Seidel, Q.C., was joined by MLA Liaison, Alana DeLong (Calgary Bow). The meeting was devoted to familiarizing the directors with the Alberta Innovates business framework; the scope and breadth of operational and financial obligations of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, now housed under the new corporation; and the changes that are occurring in the provincial research landscape. A substantive discussion followed on the challenges and opportunities of the newly aligned provincial research and innovation system, and on Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions’ mandate (as described in the corporation’s objects within the Alberta Research and Innovation Regulation).
The board of Directors will be meeting monthly over the next several months as there is a tremendous amount of work to be done to determine direction, and plan and implement the strategies that will help us best meet our goals and that of the Government of Alberta. In the immediate term, and in response to the questions and concerns that the community has had for some time, the board has planned the following:
First: that at their March meeting they will determine the number of awards offered from the Independent Investigator Fall 2009 competition. This decision will be based on the same two principles used by AHFMR: quality of applications and available resources.
Second: also at their March meeting, the Board will be defining the AI-HS initiatives for Fall 2010, in the context of the roles and mandate of the new organization. The Directors are excited at the opportunity to support the development of new activities to catalyze research and innovation in Alberta and they intend to move quickly in that direction.
These decisions will be communicated to the health research community within a week of the upcoming meeting.
I want to emphasize again that all commitments for existing (current) AHFMR grants and awards (in all categories) will be fully honoured, under the terms and conditions set out for each grant or award, by Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions.
As always, you can email me () or Pam Valentine, Director of Grants and Awards () or call (780 423-5727) if you have questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Jacques Magnan, PhD
President & CEO
Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions
Funded by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Endowment Fund