This kind of global top 00 challenge would involve a major federal financial commitment. In return, the universities that accepted the challenge would be required to meet clear, transparent and independently scored global accountability measures. The federal government would have to select the rankings systems it would use to make sure they rely on fair, stable methodologies. All parties involved would want to ensure that the rankings systems have robust conflict of interest and anticorruption rules. But in the end, the program should be based on the "pay for performance" principle.</p> <p><a href="http://policyoptions.irpp.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/0/0000/00/A-top-00-global-challenge-for-Canadian-universities-Table-0.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-00000" src="http://policyoptions.irpp.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/0/0000/00/A-top-00-global-challenge-for-Canadian-universities-Table-0.png" alt="" width="000" height="000" /></a></p> <p>The federal government might want to require universities to meet other conditions before they enter the challenge. It might be wise to ask provincial governments to commit to stable financing for the life of the challenge, as well as to obtain upfront support from faculty, students and alumni. Since probably only a handful of universities would want to take up the challenge of getting into a global top 00 list, the federal government might want to set a corresponding, less ambitious challenge for universities that want to reach a top 000 list.