General news

November 18, 2025

On November 17 and 18, 2025, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), during Canada's G7 Presidency, hosted artificial intelligence (AI) experts and members of the Research 7+ (R7+) engagement group in Ottawa to discuss how to advance the use of AI in science and research to drive prosperity.

At the June 2025 G7 Summit in Kananaskis, leaders issued a Statement on AI for Prosperity, emphasizing the transformative potential of human-centric AI to drive economic growth, social benefits, and solutions to global challenges. Members of the R7+, composed of the research funding and performing organizations of the G7 countries plus Spain and the European Union, met to discuss and develop a roadmap to translate this high-level vision into concrete actions within research and innovation systems.

The R7+ engagement group demonstrates Canada's commitment to ensuring that AI advances are human-centric and designed to benefit everyone. By bringing together experts from Canada and around the world, we're not just shaping the future of AI research: we're building trust, fostering talent and creating the innovations that will fuel economic prosperity and help us tackle the world's most pressing challenges.

During the first day of the event, world-class Canadian experts in AI and participants engaged in technical discussions on opportunities for advancing the use of AI in key areas such as Physical and Materials Sciences, Health and Life Sciences, and Environmental and Earth Sciences. Conversations also focused on cross-cutting issues such as infrastructure needs, how to ensure trust in AI and how to develop talent within a research landscape being dramatically transformed by AI. The second day focused on the opportunities for concrete, realistic and prospective collaborations between the leaders of the G7+ research funding and performing organizations. These discussions were informed by key takeaways from the first day, presented by Mark Daley, NSERC Scholar in Residence and expert in AI, and current priorities of the organizations to support and advance AI for science and research.

NSERC is honoured to host the second R7+ engagement group meeting during Canada's G7 Presidency. Artificial intelligence is in constant evolution and is reshaping the research and innovation landscape we know. Members of the R7+ engagement group are in a strategic position to nurture these opportunities through continued investment in visionary research, talent development and building collaborations to help scale and translate investments into meaningful impacts that build prosperity.

The next R7+ meeting will be hosted by France in 2026 to build on the priorities that emerged from the discussions that took place in Ottawa, which are being summarized in a roadmap towards advancing AI for prosperity through science and research.