Canada has convinced 64 international academics, mostly from the United States, to bring their work to Canadian universities through its new talent-attraction program.Â
The news: Industry minister MĂ©lanie Joly announced the first round of academics coming to Canada as part of the $1.7-billion Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative on Thursday. The program will give these 64 expertsâwho operate in areas like health, the environment, and AIâ$504 million over eight years to bolster institutions like the University of British Columbia, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Toronto.
These new research chairs come from 13 different countries, but an overwhelming 48 of them hail from the United States, including institutions like Cornell, Harvard, Yale, and MIT. Four researchers come from the United Kingdom, two from China, and the remaining countries, like Germany, India, and Japan, each gave up one.
From the source: âThese exceptional researchers are tackling complex challenges and generating knowledge that will help strengthen communities, inform decision-making, and improve the lives of people across Canada,â Normand Labrie, chair of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee, said in a statement. âI have no doubt [the research chairs] will help cement Canadaâs place as a world leader in key research fieldsâfrom AI to biotechnology and beyond.â
The context: The talent attraction initiative was earmarked in the 2025 budget to try to attract 100 researchers to Canada. Many countries are taking advantage of the US brain drain sparked by the Trump administrationâs cuts to billions in funding from academic institutions, as well as its restrictions on what scholars could study.
Final thought: While Canada has a brain drain problem of its own, many of its top minds came to Canada from other countries, including AI pioneers like UK-born Geoffrey Hinton and US-born Richard Sutton. The government said bringing in this new talent will lead to the discovery of new technologies and practices, as well as train the next generation of research leaders to build out Canadaâs research and innovation capacity.
Feature image courtesy MĂ©lanie Joly via LinkedIn.