Every November, scientists, innovators, and policy makers descend on Ottawa for the Canadian Science Policy Conference, seeking to chart a course forward for the country’s scientific community. This year, attendees grappled with the challenges and opportunities of doing science in an uncertain world, and left with a wealth of ideas for finding a prosperous path forward.
Perimeter Institute’s delegation included Executive Director Marcela Carena and Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer Paul Smith, as well as a team of scientists, educators, and policy professionals.
“It was great to come together with others who care deeply about Canada’s knowledge economy, and who understand the importance of getting the best people to come to and stay in Canada, ask big questions, and pursue big answers,” said Emily Petroff, Perimeter Institute’s Director of External Relations. “Perimeter will continue striving to play our part in this grand endeavour.”
Talent acquisition and development were a major topic of conversation this year. New opportunities to build scientific powerhouses in Canada, including in the quantum and Artificial Intelligence industries, are burgeoning across the country.
The Canadian government’s new budget, announced on November 4, recognized the importance of Canada’s ability to recruit and retain top research talent – especially in rapidly evolving fields like quantum – to Canada’s future competitiveness. That informed discussions at CSPC, and ended up as a core piece of this year’s conference theme, ‘Toward a resilient future for Canada: Mobilizing science, knowledge and innovation.’
Other areas of discussion included building a resilient science, technology and innovation ecosystem, and reaching Canadians through concerted public engagement.
Perimeter Teacher-in-Residence Ashley McCarl Palmer spoke to the conference about building trust in science and developing early talent in STEM. She was joined on stage by experts from across the country, who spoke about how the STEM leaders can help shape education to foster trust in science, and build a more future-ready science culture.
The session was moderated by Let’s Talk Science founder and President Bonnie Schmidt.
“CSPC has been such an enlightening experience, and I've learned so much about the ecosystem Perimeter is part of,” said McCarl Palmer. “It was an honour to not just represent Perimeter but to share how education is a critical piece in building a strong talent pool for Canada.”
Other panellists spoke about the need to make science engaging and accessible to students, and the work of Perimeter’s outreach team meets this call to action. Reflecting on the panel and the conference as a whole, McCarl Palmer said:
“It feels really wonderful to be part of a positive movement forward in STEM. The work that Perimeter Institute and its partners are doing really will make a real difference in the lives of future generations in Canada.”
To learn more about the conversations at CSPC 2025, visit sciencepolicy.ca
About PI
Perimeter Institute is the world’s largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated by the understanding that fundamental science advances human knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology. Located in the Region of Waterloo, the not-for-profit Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada, that enables cutting-edge research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and shares the power of physics through award-winning educational outreach and public engagement.
