NCE Secretariat Chair’s Message

Suzanne Fortier, PhD
Chair, NCE Steering Committee

It is no secret that Canada is among the world’s best when it comes to scientific excellence. Through the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) programs, we are making even greater strides in putting that research into practice for the benefit of all Canadians.

Over the past year, the NCE Networks and Centres have increased their focus on building a solutions-based economy in partnership with industry, hospitals, provincial governments, communities and many others. The effectiveness of our four programs is reflected in the growing number of organizations that are partnering with the NCE. A total of 3,163 partners, including more than 1,450 from industry, collaborated on NCE-funded initiatives last year—a 17% increase over the previous year.

Despite the ongoing global economic challenges, our partners increased their financial contributions by 25% over the previous year. The most notable increase came from the private sector, which contributed $83.7 million in cash and in kind towards all four programs in 2010-2011 (the Networks of Centres of Excellence program, the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program, the Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE) program and the Industrial Research and Development Internships (IRDI) program), compared to $44.4 million invested in the previous year.

Our partners invest much more than funding. Through the four NCE programs, they share their expertise on research and commercialization, act as mentors to emerging technology companies and provide a direct pipeline to the people who will benefit most from research-driven solutions.

Throughout this year’s report, you will hear first-hand from these partners how the NCE suite of programs is helping to grow companies, add value to products and services, create jobs, increase productivity, improve patient care and develop greener practices.

The IRDI program partnered with more than 500 companies and organizations who were then supported by 974 internships last year. An additional 2,207 HQPs participated in collaborative projects through other NCE programs.

On the commercialization front, the numbers are equally impressive: 279 patents filed or issued; 59 licenses granted, 23 start-ups launched; $104 million in follow-on investments; and $206 million in foreign investment.

We are optimistic that actions taken in 2010-2011 will create opportunities for even more successes. These include a new competition for the Networks of Centres of Excellence program that places greater emphasis on applicants to be solutions-driven in collaboration with Canadian and international partners. The new Knowledge Mobilization initiative (KM) will fund national and international networks that link knowledge users and producers to accelerate the transfer and application of research results.

The NCE Secretariat also completed a third CECR competition in 2010, leading to awards for five new Centres in the areas of regenerative medicine technologies, medical imaging innovations, microelectronic businesses, monitoring technologies used in Canada’s North, and the wireless industry.

Increasingly, these solutions will be delivered by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—the lifeblood of Canada’s economy. That is why the NCE earmarked $2.8 million to increase the involvement of SMEs in research and commercialization activities. The NCE awarded $1.4 million of these funds to five BL-NCE projects in 2010, with a second competition currently underway.

I would like to thank our peer review committees, Standing Selection Committee and Private Sector Advisory Board for their sage advice in helping talented research teams bring their solutions to Canadians.

The achievements realized over the past year—and over the past 22 years—would also not have been possible without the energy, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit of the leadership teams of our Networks and Centres. They have built bridges between academia, industry and other partners and challenged them to find new solutions to both longstanding and emerging problems. On behalf of the Steering Committee members, I would like to thank them for their dedication and contributions.

I would also like to recognize the Government of Canada for its continued support for this unique suite of programs that demonstrates the power of collaboration in making Canada a healthier and more prosperous country.