What We Heard and Next Steps
Any time we meet with those from Saskatchewan’s health research community, it is always a positive experience. Over the past few months, we have heard and felt an outstanding amount of support and appreciation for the work that SHRF does to support researchers and the work they are passionate about that is making our province a healthier place to live.
It is no surprise, when you have a dynamic health research ecosystem, that the needs within that environment are as varied as the health challenges teams are working to address across the province.
So, what did we hear from those we met with?
We heard about the importance of SHRF’s role in helping and encouraging new researchers to build a career in health research in the province; we heard about the importance of being able to build effective collaborations to address pressing needs and to find highly qualified personnel to drive innovative programs of research; and we heard that there is a need for support in getting the knowledge produced into the right hands to advance health outcomes. Several stakeholder groups also expressed that we need to be more focused and targeted in some of our funding calls to enhance impact in important areas instead of spreading our impact too thin across calls with broad objectives.
Now comes the challenge of focusing and prioritizing SHRF’s efforts to find the best approach as we build a refreshed suite of funding programs in a way that will both meet as many of the varied needs of the research community as possible, while achieving our organization’s strategic goals and maximizing our operational efforts.
The work will continue over the coming months, with an expected launch of our first new program and a general overview of our refreshed suite of programs in the spring.
If you missed an opportunity to add your voice to this conversation, there’s still time. Reach out to fundinginfo@shrf.ca before the end of February, if you would like to share your input or invite Karen Tilsley, Director of Funding Programs, to a department or other meeting with your colleagues to discuss your biggest challenges when it comes to contributing to a healthier Saskatchewan through health research.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the conversation so far. We’re excited for the next steps as we work to continuously improve how we support Saskatchewan’s vibrant health research community.
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