Ottawa aims to attract top research talent, including Canadians working abroad

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says the federal government’s $1.7-billion plan to attract research talent can reverse the brain drain of past decades and spur economic growth, in part by luring back Canadian scholars who have moved abroad.

The plan, announced in last month’s budget, will create 100 research chairs at Canadian universities spread across eight areas of focus, which range from defence technologies to food and water security, climate resilience and the Arctic.