Preamble
Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) is a high profile, high priority interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research program supported at 91社区 by Government of Canada鈥檚 Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), in partnership with the Government of Quebec and partner organizations from across sectors.
CFREF aims to help Canadian postsecondary institutions excel globally in research areas that create long-term economic advantages for Canada. HBHL was competitively selected for funding through this program for seven (7) years starting in September 2016.
HBHL is a global centre of excellence for multidisciplinary research and a hub for neuroinformatics and big data analysis. The research is centred around an advanced analytic platform for brain research鈥擭euroHub鈥攖hat accelerates translational discoveries and enables improved brain health for Canadians and globally.
HBHL鈥檚 scientific strategy consists of a suite of funding programs designed to stimulate, accelerate, and integrate progress across the overall research program with a focus on an interdisciplinary approach across fields linked by neuroinformatics. HBHL鈥檚 objectives are achieved across four strategies: Capacity Building; Advancing Discovery; Accelerating Innovation; and Exchanging Knowledge, each with specific objectives on the discovery-to-innovation continuum.
Mandate
Established under the authority of the HBHL Strategic Steering Committee (SSC), the Innovation Committee (IC) has delegated authority to oversee the successful implementation of HBHL鈥檚 innovation program. The IC has delegated authority to make funding decisions for innovation funding programs managed by HBHL鈥檚 neuroscience accelerator, NeuroSphere, in alignment with processes approved by the SSC. The Innovation Committee is responsible for advising HBHL on its innovation goals and deliverables, funding programs, activities and strategic partnerships. Such partnerships relate to non-academic sectors such as the private sector, large industry as well as small- and medium sized enterprises, non-for-profit organizations, and governmental organizations.
The purpose of these partnerships is to strengthen innovation and commercialization aligned with the HBHL vision, objectives, and deliverables and to optimize the translation of new knowledge via multiple intersecting channels to and from partners, including industry, health-care practitioners, government, academia and the public. As such, partnerships will enhance the societal relevance and innovativeness of the HBHL scientific strategy.
Key Responsibilities
To fulfil its mandate, the Innovation Committee will:
- Provide advice and guidance on strategic partnerships including:
- Promoting collaborations between HBHL and partner organizations
- Facilitating commercialization opportunities for technologies, products and processes stemming from HBHL research
- Diversifying funding sources through partnerships
- Assessing scientific, commercial, and clinical relevance and impacts
- Periodically review HBHL innovation strategy and funding programs and advise on alignment of the strategy with the overall vision, strategy, and operations of HBHL with regard to:
- Appropriateness and feasibility of long-term objectives
- Progress toward milestones and deliverables
- Benchmark HBHL against international best practices
- Implement any adjustments that are deemed necessary to rectify deficiencies
- Identify and/or evaluate any potential public, corporate or private partnerships or funding opportunities having a direct link with HBHL activities or goals and implement the appropriate structures for the development and maintenance of such partnerships or funding opportunities.
- Provide guidance on program guidelines and review processes of the HBHL innovation programs, (e.g. Neuro-Innovation fund and Neuro-Partnership fund);
- Oversee the peer review of proposals and recommend both internal and external reviewers, as deemed appropriate;
- Oversee the processes for calls for proposals, progress tracking of projects, and program performance evaluations;
- Make funding decisions in alignment with processes approved by the SSC;
- Seek advice, where appropriate, from the HBHL Research Management Committee (RMC), the International Advisory Committee (IAC), the HBHL Board of Directors, individual members of such committees, and/or any other HBHL stakeholders.
- Provide recommendations to the HBHL Managing Director on the recruitment of HBHL innovation staff.
Membership and Appointments
Membership of the Innovation Committee shall consist of up to 9 members:
- Associate Vice-President, Office of Innovation and Partnerships (Chair)
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences representative
- Academic Director of the Dobson Centre
- Director, Technology Transfer, Office of Innovation and Partnerships
- Representative from the Neuro
- Representative from the Douglas
- Up to 4 members at large - external to 91社区
The 91社区 Associate Vice-President, Office of Innovation and Partnerships, chairs the Innovation Committee. The Chair will assist in setting the agenda, chairing meetings, and coordinating dossiers for the Innovation Committee.
Members-at-large may include innovation experts, entrepreneurs, business leaders, members of government, or investment organizations and are recruited through open call and appointed by the SSC on the recommendation of the Innovation Committee.
The representative from the Faculty of Medicine is selected by the Dean of Medicine.
Innovation Committee members are appointed by the HBHL SSC on the recommendation of the Innovation Committee.
Delegates are not accepted.
Innovation Committee members will serve for terms associated with their respective positions of relevant responsibility at 91社区 and/or their role related to HBHL. Members-at-large and the representative from the Faculty of Medicine are appointed for two years, renewable.
Ad hoc guests and/or observers with specialized expertise may be invited to participate in meetings of the Innovation Committee at the discretion of the Chair.
The HBHL Managing Director & CEO and the Associate Director, Business Development attend Innovation Committee meetings in a non-voting capacity. Other HBHL staff may attend at the discretion of the Managing Director & CEO.
Meetings
The Innovation Committee will meet 4-6 times per year, as needed.
HBHL staff will make every effort to ensure that review and discussion of funding applications happen at in-person meetings of the Innovation Committee and not via e-mail unless absolutely necessary.
Meeting dates will be scheduled in advance to ensure that all members are aware of upcoming meetings within a reasonable timeframe.
The meeting agenda will be prepared by HBHL office staff with input from the Chair.
Quorum
A simple majority of members constitutes quorum for meetings of the Innovation Committee.
Voting Procedure
Decisions will be made by consensus. If consensus is not forthcoming within a reasonable timeframe, the Chair may proceed with a vote on the question. For the vote to be valid, a majority of members must cast a vote (quorum). Each member has one (1) vote. Normally, the Chair does not vote other than in the case of a tie.
An e-vote may be conducted when appropriate. A simple majority of all members is required for e-vote decisions. Should a voting member fail to vote by the established deadline, this will be counted as an abstention.
Recording Innovation Committee Decisions
A written record of the discussions and recommendations arising at each Innovation Committee meeting will be duly documented in official meeting notes, which, once approved by the committee, will be available for audit upon request.
The HBHL Managing Director will ensure that the agenda and meeting material is sent to members a minimum of 4 days prior to each meeting and that accurate notes of each meeting are taken and duly circulated at the next meeting for approval. The responsibility for taking minutes may be delegated to an HBHL staff member with Managing Director supervision of the content.
Remuneration
Members of the Innovation Committee serve without remuneration but will be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses incurred in the exercise of their duties at the rates applied by their home institution.
Innovation Committee Terms of Reference Review History
- First approved at the HBHL Board of Directors meeting of Oct 2, 2018
- Subsequently revised: September 16, 2019
- Subsequently revised: February 2, 2020
- Subsequently revised and approved by the HBHL Strategic Steering Committee January 18, 2022
