NRC DPR 2011-12 – Supplementary information

Supplementary information for 2011‑12 National Research Council Canada Departmental Performance Report can be found with the electronics links on this page. The financial statements and supplementary information form part of the NRC 2011‑12 Departmental Performance Report submission.

• 2011‑12 Financial Statements
• 2011‑12 Financial Statement – Commentary and Analysis

Highlights

1.1 Program Activity: Manufacturing Technologies

In 2011‑12, work was continued on a cross-NRC initiative in alternative aviation fuels, including full scale flight demonstration on a Canadian grown biojet fuel. This continues to be an area of collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

NRC commissioned the wind tunnel to help aircraft manufacturers measure the noise levels generated by aircraft landing gear. Industry historically has focused on measuring and reducing the noise generated only by engines. Turbofan-powered airliners and business jets are becoming progressively quieter through the incorporation of higher bypass ratios, use of acoustic materials and nacelle design techniques. As a result the noise generated by the airframe, particularly the airflow turbulence around landing gear, wheel wells, flaps and slats, has become a target for noise reduction research.

NRC enabled coordinated access to its multidisciplinary expertise and state‑of‑the‑art facilities through partnerships with the manufacturing industry, Both consortiums and special interest groups (SIG) have industry groups who are partners in developing special technologies. The NRC also works actively with various stakeholder groups in order to properly assess all aspects of the implications of new research and technology.

NRC’s Centre for Surface Transportation has been collaborating with the Ottawa Police on the development of more environmentally friendly police cruisers. The average police car idles about 60 to 70 per cent of the time while on duty, guzzling 3.7 litres of fuel an hour. This adds to the wear and tear on the vehicles, forcing them to retire after about 160,000 kms. A new pilot project uses a spare battery in the trunk of police cruisers, to allow officers to turn off their vehicles while parked, but still use computers, radios, lights and heaters. This Greenfleet technology, designed with the help of NRC, aims to save fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions. The battery can be charged with a solar panel next to the emergency lights on the roof of a cruiser or by plugging it in at night. The plan is to outfit the system on 30 active cruisers by 2012, which would save about 270 kilograms of carbon emissions each hour those vehicles are parked while on duty. The Ontario Provincial Police is now looking into ways to adapt the technology to their vehicles.

Developing innovative high performance composite systems to protect critical concrete infrastructure against extreme shocks is the goal of a research project now underway at the National Research Council. NRC, in collaboration with industry and infrastructure owners, is conducting blast tests, simulating the effects of explosives and impacts from heavy vehicles on highway bridges, tunnels, data centers, power generation facilities and embassy buildings. The research objective is to develop protection systems that could provide high levels of performance in terms of shock absorption, load distribution, concrete confinement, and overall structural capacity. By enhancing the structural robustness of critical infrastructure, it is hoped that the risk of failure will be reduced. Project partners include BASF, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Department of National Defence, the RCMP, Transport Canada, and the University of Ottawa.

In Canada, current housing is not meeting the needs of some seniors and people with disabilities. Keeping people in their own homes as long as possible, and avoiding their premature admission to long‑term care facilities, will reduce healthcare costs and healthcare pressure on government. In collaboration with industrial partners, researchers at the NRC Institute for Research in Construction Centre for Computer-assisted Construction Technologies have been developing and testing smart home technologies to support independent living. The main objectives are to develop and integrate innovative information and communication technology (ICT) solutions and construction technologies. These are expected to provide high quality and yet affordable supports for seniors and people with disabilities to live safely and independently in their own homes. A proof‑of‑concept demonstration system has been implemented and deployed in two sites (at the NRC facility in London and at the iSILS facility in Waterloo). The prototype system is able to monitor air temperature and humidity, usage of water (washroom and kitchen), doors, refrigerator, stove, TV, motion, vital health conditions and location of the occupant. Caregivers (including family members) have password-protected access to this information on the Internet. Alerts are sent through emails, mobile text messages, and automatic phone calls. A test facility called Lab for Independent Living Technologies (LILT) is being built at NRC‑London facilities to further develop, test, and demonstrate the technologies developed by NRC and its partners.

1.2 Program Activity: Information and Communications Technologies and Emerging Technologies

In response to the need for technologies to detect indoor air quality and deliver ventilation for dilution when needed, in support of Health Canada guidelines, NRC developed technologies to detect formaldehyde at parts per billion concentration along three platforms. The most promising platform employing conjugated polymers was built and successfully demonstrated. This unique approach enabled filing of both Canada and US patents, and NRC is currently negotiating licensing of the technology with two firms.

NRC researchers have developed PORTAGE, a software technology that allows a computer to translate text from one language to another, and to apply this capability to improve the productivity of human translators. To ensure that PORTAGE is competitive with the world's best translation systems, NRC participates in international evaluations of machine translation performance, including evaluations based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In a recent NIST evaluation, the NRC technology placed first overall in Chinese to English, and second in Arabic to English of sixteen competing technologies. These results have led to a new licensing opportunity. PORTAGE is already in use at eight Canadian universities and two commercial licences have been issued. The technology is having an impact not only on translation and terminology, but also second-language education and e‑business.

1.3 Program Activity: Industrial Research Assistance

NRC‑IRAP introduced several new performance management and reporting processes in 2011‑12.

• In December 2011, new service standards were introduced, covering access, advisory services, project development, funding decision and payment. Clients are also now routinely invited to give feedback on NRC‑IRAP services.
• A Business Process Review (BPR) was also launched, aimed to increase program effectiveness, efficiency, and balance, while providing field staff with more opportunities to interact with clients. The BPR workflow planning session done in March 2012 led to a better understanding of business processes, tools and information systems required to enhance program delivery and reduce complexity. The BPR recommendations will serve to help plan the implementation of the new tools and processes, which will be reported in 2012‑13.
• The Post‑Project Assessment (PPA) is administered to all funded firms upon completion of their projects. Firms and NRC‑IRAP staff now log into a common site to complete the post‑project reports. Eventually this site will be expanded to include other online tools designed to facilitate the sharing of information between the firm and NRC‑IRAP. The data collected in the PPA measures the benefits identified by clients at the start of the project that would accrue as a result of NRC‑IRAP advisory services and financial support. The responses from the firm thereby provide feedback on the achievements and outcomes of NRC‑IRAP funded project.
• The Status of Firm (SoF) and Impact Assessment (IA) are administered annually for up to five years after the completion of a funded project. The SoF collects metrics such as number of firm employees, VP expenditures, revenues from goods and services, etc. The IA collects data on the revenue derived from new products, the impact of new processes, the social benefits achieved, etc.

Over the coming years, the data collected from these tools will allow NRC‑IRAP to measure the long-term success of stimulating innovation capacity, as well as the adoption or commercialization of technology-based products, services or processes for NRC‑IRAP-funded SMEs.

NRC‑IRAP partnered with Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) under the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP), a pilot initiative announced in Budget 2010. CICP is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to promote Canada’s economic growth, bolster innovation in Canada’s business sector, and help companies bridge the pre-commercialization gap for their innovative products and services. During 2011‑12, NRC‑IRAP continued to co‑develop the Program delivery process with PWGSC, and provided independent reviews of 336 proposals during the second CICP call for proposals. The CICP was recognized by the Government of Canada as a key contributor to innovation and was made permanent in Budget 2012 and NRC‑IRAP expects to continue to partner with PWGSC.

NRC‑IRAP’s success stems from its track record of customized services and the highly skilled field staff that deliver those services across Canada. Its ITAs are a unique resource, the focal point of one‑on‑one and trusted relationships with companies that extend for years. ITAs provide individualized and adapted services to each firm’s unique attributes and requirements in order to provide a tailored response to their technical and business development needs. Because of this comprehensive support, NRC‑IRAP clients are better equipped to perform research and development (R&D), commercialize new products, processes and services, and access new domestic and international markets. A number of success stories related to NRC‑IRAP support are presented below.

1.4 Program Activity: Health and Life Science Technologies

NRC continues to draw companies to its clusters, such as Immunitor Inc. (which has established interactions with several private and public entities in the vibrant Charlottetown biotechnology cluster, and will relocate some of its activity to the cluster to enhance its vaccine collaboration with NRC) and OmniActive Health (housed in Charlottetown Industry Partnership Facility while awaiting the opening of its functional ingredients VP centre in the PEI BioCommons Research Park). The Prairie Gold industrial partners (Agrisoma Biosciences, Inc., Linnaeus Plant Sciences Inc. and Metabolix Canada), benefited from their proximity to the Saskatoon plant biotechnology cluster as residents of the NRC Saskatoon Industry Partnership Facility, enhancing their collaborative effort with NRC and others to produce biofuels from carinata.

NRC continued its collaboration with Ceapro Inc. to generate mechanism‑of‑action data of bioactive properties to support the sale of the company’s Canadian ingredients targeting anti‑inflammation, anti‑allergens, wound healing and personal care products for anti‑aging. NRC also completed synergistic studies combining Ceapro ingredients with rosehip extracts with preliminary data pointing to multiple potential product candidates for the company. Ceapro and NRC will further evaluate rosehips native to Prince Edward Island, for new products of benefit to Canadian agricultural producers.

In May 2011, NRC signed a one‑year contract with the Prairie Isotope Production Enterprise (PIPE) – a consortium including Acsion Industries, the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre, and the University of Winnipeg – to produce molybdenum‑100 using a linear electron accelerator. The wordwide shortage of the commonly used medical isotope molybdenum Mo‑99, in short supply since 2007, is a growing concern nationally and globally. For NRC, this has created an opportunity to contribute to a project of national importance: replacing present methods of medical isotope production with far less expensive alternatives. Several designs were proposed and tested with NRC simulating these various designs, together with their water-cooling systems, to determine temperature distributions throughout the assembly.

In late 2009, Triffid flax (a banned genetically modified variety) was detected in Canadian flax imports to Europe. The EU immediately halted Canadian flax imports, resulting in farmers’ inability to move inventory, prices plummeting, and exporters holding cargo in limbo. NRC, the Flax Council of Canada, the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre and Quantum Diagnostics worked closely to develop a test to identify the presence of CDC Triffid gene sequence in seeds, which enabled producers to definitively determine that their seed lots were clear of Triffid. This testing has allowed the industry to rebound and re‑open important agriculture exports.

1.5 Program Activity: Energy and Environmental Technologies

The use of enzymes to replace traditional chemical processes to produce, for example, fibres and other value added biopolymers, yields lower net CO₂ emissions, lowering overall water usage and energy consumption. NRC scientists have developed a proprietary biocatalyst to produce high quality natural biofibres that can be used to develop biocomposites to replace other commercial products, such as fiberglass.

The current explosion in next-generation sequencing technology enables the characterization of microbial community structure and function at a level of detail not previously possible. NRC is using this technology to monitor microbial communities involved in the degradation and remediation of hydrocarbons in soil and groundwater, toxic cyanobacterial blooms, and wastewater treatment systems to improve treatment approaches to water quality. These sequencing technologies were applied for the first time to provide insight on the bacterial communities involved in the degradation of hydrocarbons in contaminated sites under the extreme conditions encountered in the Canadian high Arctic, enabling NRC researchers to develop and apply the most effective treatment solutions under the extreme conditions of low temperatures and low water activity, and to monitor on site bioremediation performance.

NRC scientists have also developed microarrays and bead-based assays to detect pathogenic bacteria in water and foods, to monitor waste treatment processes to ensure the removal of pathogens and to perform fecal source tracking to detect pathogens in surface water bodies. These techniques are ensuring that specific potential pathogens are detected and that improved detection sensitivity are integral parts of future water quality monitoring capabilities.

NRC also developed scalable approaches for producing microalgae biofuels using industrial waste streams, including CO₂ from flue-gases and nutrients (N, P, and trace metals) from municipal and industrial wastewaters. In 2011‑12 NRC established specialized facilities for mixing, delivering and measuring specific industrial flue gases for selecting tolerant algae strains, and additional algal cultivation apparatus specially designed for growth experiments using wastewater treatment plant effluent as a nutrient source. Through collaboration with NRC, Solutions4CO2 (S4CO2), a Canadian SME, successfully demonstrated the superiority of its CO₂ infusion systems, enabling a 5‑fold more efficient delivery of CO₂ for algal growth than traditional aeration methods, for intense cultivation of microalgae. As a result S4CO2 has developed commercial relationships with industry partners in the algal cultivation field and has attracted private investment to further its product development.

The NBP4 initiative has successfully engaged industrial partners committed to the development of technologies critical for the successful commercialization of microalgae biofuels

Polyurethane (PU) rigid and flexible biofoam formulations with 10% lignin were successfully developed providing industry with a solution for non‑food grade biofoam with characteristics similar to traditional foams. The technology was transferred to a Canadian insulated foam producer, which is collaborating with a Canadian lignin producer, Tembec, to fabricate the first generation of insulated spray foams and PU foam panels from Canadian lignin.

An NRC‑developed blending technology enabled lignin replacement of up to 20% of thermoplastic polypropylene. This lead to two successful industrial projects with FPInnovations and Lignol on the evaluation of the potential of Canadian Kraft and organo‑solv lignins, respectively, in thermoplastic blends. These developments, and others at NRC and our industrial partners, have opened new doors for the valorization of Canadian lignin in the multi-billion dollar thermoplastic markets.

To improve water quality, NRC developed micro-arrays, bio-assays, and biosensors to track and detect pathogens and other microorganisms in drinking water sources including surface and groundwater. For instance, in water and contaminated site monitoring, NRC scientists used next-generation sequencing technology to apply effective treatment solutions to contaminated sites in the Arctic by monitoring and treating bacterial communities involved in the degradation of hydrocarbons. In addition, NRC scientists have developed techniques to detect disease-causing bacteria in water and foods, to monitor waste treatment processes to ensure the removal of these pathogens, and to perform procedures to detect pathogens in surface water bodies. The NRC also developed an electrolysis-enhanced anaerobic digestion process to convert wastes into methane for a more efficient net energy production.

As part of a comprehensive process to treat wastewaters, an electrolysis-enhanced anaerobic digestion process was developed at NRC to efficiently convert waste into the biogas, methane. Use of this technology results in net energy production while consuming organic wastes and may be more efficient a process than producing biodiesel or ethanol from waste.

Water management and sustainability (as well as renewable energy in both solar and biofuel areas) are expected topics of continued discussion at the second Canada-Israel Innovation Roundtable in 2011.

2.1 Program Activity: National Science and Technology Infrastructure

Astronomy contributes to the development of highly skilled personnel by reaching out to young people and by training highly qualified people in general skills such as the ability to solve complex problems, perform research and develop technical skills. A key finding of the Astronomy in Canada ^{Footnote 1} report was that astronomy enrolments across Canada are increasing, astronomy post doctoral fellows have doubled since 2000, and tenure track positions are up by 70%. In line with “promoting world class excellence” Canadian astronomy has been found to rank highest in impact of any country in the G7. And through its international telescope agreements, astronomy encourages global collaborations that benefit all participants including industrial partners.

As part of its mandate, NRC provides access to primary international state-of-the-art telescopes for Canadian scientists, as well as to astronomical data that are collected and distributed by the NRC’s Canadian Astronomy Data Centre. The central driver for ongoing development activities is the community-based Long Range Plan for Canadian Astronomy, a decadal plan referred to as LRP2010. This plan is focused on securing Canada’s participation in large-scale “world observatories” that are intended to form the future national infrastructure for Canadian astronomy and which speaks to Canadian strengths. In 2011‑12, early science operations began at one of these next-generation facilities: the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) in Chile. In spring 2012, NRC formally joined the international SKA Organisation in order to participate in the pre-construction of the Square Kilometre Array, a global project involving 20 nations which is a key priority for the Canadian research community. NRC will continue to contribute to the Canadian portfolio of ground-based observatories, including creating leading-edge instrumentation for the facilities in collaboration with Canadian industrial partners.

Astronomy contributes to the development of highly skilled personnel by reaching out to young people and by training highly qualified people in general skills such as the ability to solve complex problems, perform research and develop technical skills. A key finding of the Astronomy in Canadareport was that astronomy enrolments across Canada are increasing, astronomy post doctoral fellows have doubled since 2000, and tenure track positions are up by 70%. In line with “promoting world class excellence” Canadian astronomy has been found to rank highest in impact of any country in the G7. And through its international telescope agreements, astronomy encourages global collaborations that benefit all participants including industrial partners. The Report also notes, “Canadian astronomy has arisen to become one of the country’s research success stories. Such successes include a world renowned research community that has been recognized through numerous top awards and whose work has become among the most highly cited astronomy research in the world; an internationally recognized capability for developing pioneering astronomy technologies; and not least, a reputation for being a leading contributor and partner to some of the most influential observatories”. NRC has played a critical role in this success through “its in‑house expertise in adaptive optics, millimetre instrumentation and correlators, (developing)… an international reputation for its ability to design and develop, in collaboration with industry, critical telescope technology”. Through its economic analysis, the study found that expenses incurred by the Canadian government on observatories are approximately equal to the quantifiable economic impacts for the country, which are in addition to the notable unquantifiable social benefits.

NRC has developed a new on‑site measurement service for Canadian electrical utilities. As power cables age, their insulation deteriorates and local defects such as voids and impurities become more active. The new measurement technique evaluates the overall conditions of the insulation of the power cable and can be performed on‑site on de‑energised cables with the collaboration of electrical utility staff. The entire test takes no more than 5 minutes after the cable has been removed from service. If measurements indicate that a cable only has localized problems, the cable can be repaired and returned to service. However, if measurements show that the overall properties of the insulation of the cable are in poor condition, the cable should be replaced. So far more than 260 power cables have been measured during the winter months of 2011‑12 with NRC’s client, Hydro Ottawa. The results of the measurement program are used by Hydro Ottawa to plan its cable replacement program for the next construction season. Many other electrical utilities in Ontario have shown an interest in this new NRC capability.

In addition, NRC is establishing measurement standards for emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, biotechnology and ICT. Robust manufacturing practices coupled with the necessary standards and measurement infrastructure deliver economic impacts as industry begins to bring early products to the global marketplace.

Researchers from Ryerson University and Nemak Inc. are using neutron beamlines at CNBC as part of an AUTO21 project to improve reliability of light weight vehicle engines, which are needed to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. AUTO21 is funded by the Networks of Centres of Excellence program. Neutrons were used on aluminium engine blocks to measure stress, which can be a life-limiting factor of the engine. The neutron data provided clear evidence that the stress can be reduced using an advanced production method that actively chills the aluminium after being poured into the mold. This success has led to an expanded second phase of the project with additional collaborators, including researchers from General Motors Canada and CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory. Phase 2 of the project will develop advanced methods to address the properties of aluminium affecting its performance, including residual stress, stability, strength and reliability.

In a project relating to nuclear medicine, TRIUMF’s Paul Schaffer received a Strategic Opportunities Fund award from GenomeBC to lead a team working on antisense PET imaging of mRNA expression, a project that will develop a novel class of antisense oligonucloetide-based molecular-imaging agents for the diagnosis and characterization of disease.

Building on their first success with heavy-metal targets, TRIUMF accelerator physicists and nuclear scientists set a new world record for total beam power on an actinide target and conducted four difference pioneering physics experiments using rare, heavy isotopes of astatine and francium.

2.2 Program Activity: Scientific, Technical and Medical Information

NRC’s STM information program provided information to support evidence-based decision-making that ensured that research is going in the right direction. Services such as Strategic Technical Information Analysis synthesize large amounts of information from various sources into concise information on which to base decisions. Skilled information specialists ensure that the best information is used as input into reports to increase the likelihood of effective decision making. The information discovery and document delivery services ensured that information in the published literature was available when it was needed to researchers and decision-makers alike. Repositories like NPArC and PubMed Central Canada made research outputs from NRC and the Canadian medical research community easily available to support further research and innovation.

Consult NRC’s web site for a full description of services offered by NRC Knowledge Management.

Internal Services

NRC implemented the first year of its five-year Investment Plan. The new governance structure and associated integrated investment planning process to assess risk and prioritize investment requirements has been put into practice as detailed in the plan that was approved by Treasury Board on March 24, 2011. NRC planned to undertake 27 projects totalling $32.5M of which $21.6M was capital in year one of the investment plan. NRC’s focus for the first couple of years of the Investment Plan was to invest in existing assets that support core research and development activities, in particular rust‑out issues related to real property, scientific equipment, laboratories and information technology assets.

The actual number of investment projects started in the first year was 31. The focus remained as planned on existing assets. The actual expenditures for 2011‑12 were $15.2M Capital and $2.1M other funding (operating and salary budgets). The capital expenditures were lower than planned due to project approval delays of the first year of the new governance implementation. The governance process is now well established and 2012‑13 is starting well with all investment projects having expenditure authority approval.

The governance of investment planning is 100% aligned with NRC’s Project Approval Authority Directive. It is transparent and effective, with clear and appropriate accountabilities.

Based on the new hiring services model implemented in 2011‑12, a feedback survey for hiring managers was launched in 2011‑12 to obtain direct feedback on services. Overall, a 96% good/excellent level of satisfaction was reported by clients and the insight from the feedback has helped shape tools and processes.

As part of the ongoing effort to streamline hiring and better support clients, a collaborative review of the hiring workflow was initiated in 2011‑12 to identify and address key challenges. The review resulted in more consistent practices, better communication with stakeholders and the development of new methods and tools to support a more streamlined approach.

To further increase effectiveness and efficiency, a project team was established in 2011‑12 to prioritize, document, streamline and standardize the top 50 common client services work processes.

In 2011‑12, NRC also reviewed and revised its hiring policy and accompanying procedures resulting in an increased emphasis on intent, clear roles and accountabilities, and a move from joint delegation to management owned hiring delegation. Updated guiding principles provide an ethical framework to guide management decision making while providing hiring managers with increased flexibility in meeting their hiring needs.

Additionally, several recruitment programs, both internal to NRC and on an international level, were reviewed in 2011‑12 to assess their strengths and weaknesses in how they are meeting the needs of the new NRC. Based on this analysis, the viability of maintaining certain programs is under review.

In line with NRC’s focus on engaging talent, an NRC‑wide on‑line orientation program (Fast Track to Success) was developed in 2011‑12 and implemented in May 2012. The program creates a “one‑stop” information source that provides a consistent approach to bringing new employees and visitors on board across the organization, eliminating the need for each portfolio or branch to set their own basic orientation program. The program integrates a component on understanding and living NRC values and also streamlines some of the administrative processes for new employees.

In 2011‑12, NRC continued to focus on the development of leadership capability across the organization. The third cycle of NRC’s Leadership Enrichment and Development (LEAD) training program was launched and 14 participants were selected. Participants completed multisource assessments, set development goals, participated in competency development workshops that focused on leading and building teams, fierce conversations, giving and receiving feedback; all of this was applied to project work on a real time NRC issue.

In addition to the LEAD intake, “Management 101”, NRC’s online learning resource for core management knowledge about key practices and policies, was updated to reflect new organization business practices such as program/project management, financial management, and vision/mission/values. Senior executive decided to make completion of all online modules with Management 101 mandatory for all managers and supervisors.

To support NRC in putting its new structure in place, between February and March 2012, HRB created a centralized core team dedicated to NRC transformation work, including business and strategic planning, organization design and employee mapping. The establishment of this team allowed HRB to support the critical activities of transformation in a coordinated and effective manner, while continuing to respond to daily operational issues. NRC also created a transition team to lead and manage change throughout the organization.

Training all managers and supervisors at a time of organizational uncertainty provided insight into the challenges faced in work planning and managing employee performance; data was shared with the senior executive to inform them of how changes were being received. Additionally, consultation on the new hiring policy and procedures afforded an opportunity to understand the challenges managers would face in the new operating environment. Those perspectives helped to shape the policy and procedures to better support talent acquisition for the new organization.

International recruitment programs were implemented to support specific organization goals that NRC had at the time; with the new direction of the organization, critically questioning the level of effort and projected return to the organization either in improving international business relationships or opening a door to attract needed talent becomes key to determining whether these programs continue or not.

Recognition by the Government of Canada for NRC’s credible expertise and policy advice on S&T innovation

As part of its vision for transformation, NRC has placed priority on recognition of its expertise relative to S&T innovation, by the Government of Canada itself. Efforts are being made to track and measure achievement of this new goal in 2012‑13 and future years. Already in 2011‑12, several successes reflect progress towards achievement of this NRC Goal:

NRC is recognized at senior government levels by the Government of Canada for its support of basic research and development of commercial innovations, as well as credible expertise and policy advice on S&T innovation. The Vice‑President of Engineering, Ian Potter, served twice as a witness to Parliamentary/Senate committees due to his expertise in transportation and energy.

Canada‑China S&T Agreement

NRC’s senior level involvement in international engagement also included its Life Sciences Vice President’s continued role as Biohealth Sector Coordinator under the Canada‑China S&T Agreement. The NRC VP’s relationship‑building with senior officials in China has opened doors within the sector and in other key areas for both researchers and companies. In China, the VP furthered a China‑Canada workshop on vaccines technologies and manufacturing, which was organized in the context of the Canada‑China S&T Agreement and aligned with Canadian government policy. The workshop had the goal of strengthening Canada’s global position as a world leader in vaccines and to foster dialogue between key Canadian and Chinese government officials, private sector stakeholders and researchers in the field of vaccine VP. As Sector Coordinator for Canada under the Canada‑China S&T Agreement, the VP introduced to Chinese counterparts the idea of aligning cooperation on vaccines technology development with the Joint Statement made by the Prime Ministers of Canada and China in 2009. This alignment helped joint committee members in facilitating their decision to approve the area of cooperation on vaccines at the Canada‑China Joint Committee meeting held in Vancouver in October 2011. The value of this decision was $1.5M each from CIHR, ISTP and industry, leveraged by the same amount from China.

R‑D Expert Panel Review

It is clear from the report “Innovation Canada: A Call to Action” that NRC‑IRAP is well‑regarded and widely viewed as effective and successful. It is one of the most well‑known programs available to businesses, second only to the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program. The panel’s consultations revealed that NRC‑IRAP is widely regarded as an effective, well managed program that facilitates VP and commercialization activity by SMEs. This finding is corroborated by evidence collected through the Council of Canadian Academies’ 2006 assessment of Canada’s strengths and weaknesses in science and technology. A survey conducted as part of that assessment found that NRC‑IRAP was considered to be the federal government’s strongest program of direct support for the commercialization or translation of research into applications that benefit the economy or society. The panel recommended that NRC‑IRAP\xE2\x80\x99s budget be increased to enable it to build on its proven track record of facilitating innovation by SMEs throughout Canada.

DTAPP

On November 14, 2011, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry, announced an $80M investment over three years to help accelerate the adoption of information and communications technologies by small and medium-sized businesses. Given its national presence, NRC‑IRAP was selected by the Government of Canada to deliver this initiative to further provide small and medium-sized enterprises with its services and extensive network of technical experts. Additional information can be found in the in the Supplementary Information Tables accompanying NRC’s 2011‑12 Departmental Performance Report.

2012 Federal Budget

The Government made a strong commitment to the innovative firms that NRC‑IRAP serves by further investing $110M in NRC‑IRAP’s base funding to build on the strong economic impact achieved by the program. In addition, NRC‑IRAP is expected to use its experience and expertise to design and implement the new “concierge service” that was referenced in the Budget. Additional impacts on the Program and its clients are related to NRC‑IRAP being a major contributor to the delivery of both the Youth Employment Strategy and the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP).

CICP

NRC‑IRAP has partnered with PWGSC since the inception of the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) to ensure successful delivery of this program. Managed through the Central Office, NRC‑IRAP has been working closely with PWGSC at various stages to develop the bid questionnaire for firms and the evaluation delivery process, ensure the IT tools are functional, develop and deliver training to NRC‑IRAP ITAs, make continual improvements from each round (three), as well as coordinate the bid evaluations. Over 100 ITAs were directly engaged in both rounds of bid evaluations, and we also anticipate this for the upcoming round. In round 1, 360 submissions were fully reviewed. In round 2, 336 submissions were initially screened, and 169 submissions moved on to a full review. Of the successful 37 pre-qualified submissions in round 2, 30 are NRC‑IRAP clients.

Aerospace Strategy

An NRC‑IRAP Director of the Quebec region was appointed to be part of two of the six working groups on the review of Canada’s Aerospace Strategy. More specifically, he is part of the “Technology Development, Demonstration and Commercialization” and the “Small Business and Supply Chain Development” working groups. The working groups are composed primarily of industry members with some government representatives supporting the discussions. The arms-length Aerospace Review has been mandated by the Government of Canada and is led by David Emerson, who is supported by a three-person Advisory Council and a Secretariat. Their first draft is planned for mid-summer, 2012.