Program directory · Veterans Affairs Canada
Research and Innovation
- Department
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Program code
- BWI18 (VAC)
- Core responsibility
- Benefits, Services and Support
- In Departmental Plans
- 2020-21 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The Research and Innovation Program comprises the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Research Funding Program, and Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund. The Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families has a strong focus on the creation and dissemination of knowledge on prevention, assessment and treatment of PTSD and related mental health conditions for Veterans, RCMP and CAF members. It will result in better knowledge on how to prevent, assess and treat mental health issues. The objective is to increase the Canadian expertise, knowledge and transfer of knowledge on the subject of Canadian military and Veteran mental health, suicide prevention, and substance use disorder issues. The Research Funding Program provides funding to organizations (public, non-profit, and academic sectors) undertaking research-oriented projects and/or innovative initiatives to improve the well-being of military members, Veterans and their families. The Research Funding Program operates through three streams: funding to the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR), funding to the Centre of Excellence on Chronic Pain (CPCoE), and funding to the Joint Federal Research Funding Program. The Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund provides funding to organizations that conduct research, develop or implement innovative programs that improve the well-being of Veterans and their families. This funding fosters innovation across public, non-profit and academic fields.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2020-21. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research and Innovation | This program | 2020-21 – 2028-29 | $143M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Spending $24.5M, against $40.1M in 2020-21 (−39%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2027-28 | Planned spending $20.4M, against $28.1M in 2026-27 (−28%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 10 | 2023 | 37 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 15 | 2022 | 15 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 15 | 2023 | 20 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 10% | 2023 | 43% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 10% | 2024 | — There is not necessarily a call for applications each fiscal year. The VFWF did not issue a call for applications in 2023-24. | No result reported |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 68 | 2022 | 72 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 82 | 2023 | 72 The target was not met due to renewal of 5-year MOUs with university affiliates, some of which are not renewing due to retirements of qualified researchers who focused on military and Veteran health and there are no replacements for them at that institution. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 87 | 2024 | 74 Due to staffing issues and an emphasis on strategic priorities discussions, CIMVHR prioritized improving the quality of existing relationships over establishing new ones during 2023-24. The staffing issues have now been resolved, and CIMVHR is moving forward with growing their partnership base. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 15 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 87 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 45 | 2028 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 50% | 2029 | — | Planned |
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | $16.6M | $40.1M |
| 2021-22 | $19.8M | $24.5M |
| 2022-23 | $24.8M | $24.9M |
| 2023-24 | $25.4M | $27.3M |
| 2024-25 | $23.5M | $26.4M |
| 2025-26 | $25.9M | — |
| 2026-27 | $28.1M | — |
| 2027-28 | $20.4M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $20.4M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 5 | 7 |
| 2021-22 | 7 | 8 |
| 2022-23 | 6 | 7 |
| 2023-24 | 6 | 6 |
| 2024-25 | 6 | 6 |
| 2025-26 | 6 | — |
| 2026-27 | 7 | — |
| 2027-28 | 7* | — |
| 2028-29 | 5* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 plan | $16,587,681 | $19,590,753 | $19,716,502 | ||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $19,763,083 | $19,800,695 | $19,931,916 | ||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $24,822,774 | $24,910,690 | $19,910,667 | ||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $25,385,262 | $19,938,673 | $19,912,086 | ||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $23,458,795 | $20,466,759 | $20,375,299 | ||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $25,878,808 | $22,399,024 | $20,346,627 | ||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $28,083,545 | $20,356,147 | $20,355,354 | ||||||
| Actual | $40,074,036 | $24,451,369 | $24,944,839 | $27,314,788 | $26,383,267 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
