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Sustaining infrastructure of the world's cities and towns
Managing increasingly scarce water resources is considered to be a key global challenge for the 21st century. Municipalities, industry, and research partners in Saskatchewan’s sustainable infrastructure technology cluster are working collaboratively to develop infrastructure solutions that will support healthy, prosperous cities and towns.
With municipalities across Canada and around the world as potential markets for their solutions, cluster stakeholders are well aware of the value of innovative ideas, services and products.
Against this backdrop, cluster players, in collaboration with the NRC Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research (NRC-CSIR), are using the City of Regina and other Saskatchewan communities as living labs. These cities and towns have been test-beds for demonstrating emerging sustainable infrastructure technologies. Local companies have a competitive edge, as the findings of such tests can lead to new ideas, product development and, ultimately, the full-scale commercialization of much-needed solutions.
Commercialization and technology transfer
Many Saskatchewan-based Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) depend on the cluster's collective expertise and NRC information research and analysis to identify which ideas are worthy of research, development, and demonstration—and which will potentially reap substantial profits. In fact, NRC cluster initiative funds allow NRC staff to counsel small companies on the subject. The strategy is designed to draw additional Saskatchewan companies into the cluster community.
Saskatchewan firms working in the broader construction and environmental sectors are a particular focus. The NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program provides such companies with financial support as well as business advice. Support includes access to knowledge on emerging issues such as drinking water treatment and distribution, storm water management, groundwater and soil remediation, water quality monitoring, waste water systems, waste management, monitoring of bacteria in water, and infrastructure asset management.
Partnerships and collaborations
A defining feature of the sustainable infrastructure cluster is a unique interaction among innovative stakeholders: researchers, municipalities, utilities, and a mix of SMEs – including consulting firms, ICT companies, and product manufacturers and suppliers. As well, there is a regional expertise on sustainable infrastructure and environmental management that goes far beyond knowledge of technologies and products. Municipalities and utilities anchor the cluster, since the major portion of their infrastructure construction and rehabilitation is delivered by private sector firms. Over 250 Saskatchewan firms are involved in infrastructure, construction, and environmental management and technologies. NRC-CSIR nurtures and develops innovation actors in the region and bridges the regional innovation system with those at the national and international scene.
Meanwhile, the Communities of Tomorrow (CT), a community-based organization that facilitates collaborations, business development and industry engagement at the regional level, is growing the Regina cluster by increasing partnerships between firms and researchers as they develop innovative solutions for the global market. CT currently includes the City of Regina, the University of Regina, Western Economic Development, the Province of Saskatchewan, NRC and others.
International networks and linkages
The NRC cluster initiative has achieved significant success internationally on its sustainable infrastructure development goals. It participates with the American Water Research Foundation in a joint research project on management of asbestos-cement water mains that includes the involvement of 19 North American utilities and municipalities.
As well, cluster stakeholders have arranged exchange visits with researchers and trade delegations from many countries. NRC-CSIR has exchanged visits with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and SINTEF, Scandanavia’s largest research organization.
Learn more about Regina's emerging sustainable infrastructure cluster
Fact sheet available in HTML or PDF version.
Related Information
NRC Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research (NRC-CSIR)
NRC Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC)
