The Fields Institute Turns Twenty-Five 170725 Final book with covers | Page 100

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Walter Craig
events planned for young mathematicians. These events,
supported by Fields basic funding, have also garnered generous
contributions from private donors.
The role of the Fields Institute in Canada
and Internationally
The Institute contributes significantly to the mathematical
and scientific life of the country in several ways.
1. It is a key element for the recruitment of intellectual
talent. I have outlined above an illustration from my
own experiences, and this is parallel with the stories of
others who have also been recruited to academic and
industry positions in Canada.
2. The Institute provides a point of connection between
Canadian mathematical scientists and the international
scientific community. It allows us to avoid becoming
a backwater. Indeed, no single Canadian academic
department can provide the critical mass required to
import the level of scientific knowledge that is important
for Canadian mathematical research. The Institute is
able to do this.
3. Our Canadian science funding agencies have only a
narrow range of programs to support our scientific
activities. We have reasonable, if relatively humble,
research grants (the Discovery Grant Program) which
are designed to support our graduate students and
postdoctoral fellows. In the bigger picture, however,
NSERC does not have programs to support scientific
conferences, workshops, or meetings. Furthermore, an
individual researcher’s Discovery Grant is rarely enough
to plan for a regular program of academic visitors.
Planning research activities through the Canadian