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<div align="center"><b>A request from the NSERC-Math-Stat Liaison
group</b><br>
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<br>
This is a special plea to the mathematics and statistics
communities. NSERC, in its wisdom, has decided to evaluate its
non-individual Discovery programs (Institutes, sub-atomic physics,
research ships, and the like) by what is essentially a customer
satisfaction poll. Leaving aside questions of statistical accuracy,
this certainly goes against the basic principles of scientific
evaluation, such as international peer review. These points were
made, to no avail. The result is that all the Canadian scientists
who are funded by NSERC, or who have applied recently, will receive
a questionnaire. (A version was received by some of us under the
signature of “Benoit Gauthier”). The relevant pieces for us are on
the institutes. <br>
<br>
While there is no official competition between disciplines for these
resources, in an indirect way there always is. We are asking you to
<b>respond</b> to the questionnaire, and in doing so, to take a few
seconds to <b>remember</b> the scientific activities you have
participated in, the post-docs or students in your department that
the institutes have at least partially funded, the colloquia or the
summer schools that they organise, and perhaps also the extra cash
they have managed to extract from provincial governments or your
universities for mathematics and statistics. Also, perhaps, the
international presence they give to mathematics in Canada. In short,
make an effort to remember. Your answer, then, is of course your
own...<br>
<br>
There will also be a question about the math-stat long range plan
(LRP), and the allocation of funds that followed. They are asking
about whether funds should flow as a priority to individual grants
or the institutes. A somewhat leading question, asking people if
they should receive more money or if it should go to someone else;
perhaps the context of there being no real increase to our
institutes in a dozen years, in spite of there being a major
addition (CANSSI) to the pool, should be borne in mind.
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Thank you in advance for taking the time for respond.<br>
<br>
NSERC-Math-Stat Liaison group<br>
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