The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) applauds the Government of Canada’s significant commitment to investing in research and innovation in Budget 2024. Additional funding for the three granting councils, along with ongoing investments in large scientific facilities and endeavours, signals the importance of basic and applied research. The enhancements to post-graduate scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships will build and support the next generation of researchers and innovators in Canada.
Budget 2024 also provided more detail on investments in artificial intelligence (AI). These investments further signify that this is a national priority. The Alliance will continue to work with the AI institutes (Mila, AMII, and the Vector Institute), CIFAR, and other partner institutions across the country to bring life to the vision of significant progress in the fundamentals and applications of AI.
The Alliance also congratulates CANARIE on receiving their 5-year mandate renewal funding of $176 million. Network infrastructure is critical to the country’s security, economy, and Canada’s ability to innovate. This investment recognizes the crucial role that CANARIE plays.
This budget is a good step forward. The Alliance will continue to advocate to ensure that Canada’s researchers and innovators have the right digital research infrastructure tools, services, and personnel to remain competitive globally — positioning Canada for research partnerships with our G7 peers.