Royal Society of Canada executing ambitious agenda despite limited resources

The winds of change continue to blow through the corridors of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) as the 120-year-old institution works to expand its focus and adapt to the needs of a modern knowledge-based society. New relationships with non-European nations, a renewed focus on expert panel reports and symposia on cutting-edge issues are helping to transform an organization that only a few years ago was on the verge of insolvency.

Although financial constraints continue to plague the RSC, president Dr Howard Alper is forging ahead with limited resources on several fronts. He has formed a blue-chip president’s advisory council to provide strategic direction for himself and the three academies comprising the RSC (see box). The council will meet twice annually to explore opportunities for future program initiatives and confront the always-pressing issue of fund raising. At its last meeting in September, the Council agreed to hold a symposium on Kyoto, which will be held March 14/03 on the Robson campus of the Univ of British Columbia. Later next year, the RSC is planning a symposium on Energy, the Environment and Society: Making Choices, to be held in Ottawa November 25-26.

On the international front, the RSC has recently signed a MOU with the South Korean Academy of Science and Technology and another with Mexico is set for official signing early next year. Work is also proceeding to develop a series of lectureships in collaboration with India.

“In the past, the RSC has had a very modest portfolio of international programs that were all Eurocentric. It’s important to spread our wings further than Europe,” says Alper, adding that the growing relationship with Mexico is especially promising. “We don’t want to do this tri-laterally because we’d be swamped by the US. We need to have a distinct relationship with Mexico. This new initiative will cover lectures, workshops and discussions on S&T, research and policy issues. It could lead to a range of small collaborative programs.”

Long-term, the RSC hopes to realize a number of ambitious objectives. It is examining the potential for initiating a national lecture series to educate and inform the public on timely research issues facing the nation. The concept is to create an endowment that would support the lectures, and to broadcast them nationally. Other international collaborations are in the works, which would provide the RSC with the international visibility it currently lacks. It is also exploring the potential for adding a fourth academy representing the creative and performing arts communities, rounding out the disciples it represents.

FUNDING REMAINS AN URGENT PRIORITY

But for any expansion of activities to occur, RSC must expand its funding base. Currently it operates with a staff of five on an annual budget of approximately $500,000 derived from membership fees and small private donations. This compares unfavourably with France and the UK, whose societies have annual operating budgets of $50 million and $60 million respectively.

“We hope to secure fiscal security and sustainability but the Society receives no core funding,” says Alper. “The advisory council was very surprised at how small the budget really is.”

In addition to his duties as RSC president and VP research at the Univ of Ottawa, Alper continues to push for funding approval of the proposed Canadian Academies of Science (CAS). He says he’s encouraged by recent references to the CAS in ministerial speeches and contends that it’s still on the table. “Let’s hope the government will support it in the next Budget or in year-end money,” he says.

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