Day-to-day administration of the NCE Centres and Networks is provided by the Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat (the Secretariat). The Secretariat runs periodic national competitive processes through which successful applicants are chosen on the advice of a number of panels and boards. In the case of the Networks of Centres of Excellence program, applications are reviewed by an expert panel, a Selection Committee and a Steering Committee. Applications for the CECR and BL-Networks programs are reviewed by an expert panel, the Private Sector Advisory Board and the Steering Committee.

The NCE programs are overseen by a tri-agency NCE Steering Committee made up of the Deputy Minister of Industry (or delegate), the Presidents of the three granting agencies and the President of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) (as an observer).

2009 Steering Committee Members
2009-10 Private Sector Advisory Board Members
The Networks of Centres of Excellence Management Committee

2009 Steering Committee Members

Dr. Suzanne Fortier

President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Dr. Chad Gaffield

President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Dr. Alain Beaudet

President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Richard Dicerni

Deputy Minister
Industry Canada

Dr. Gilles Patry

(non-voting ex-officio member)
President and CEO
Canada Foundation for Innovation

Glenda Yeates

Deputy Minister
Health Canada

The Private Sector Advisory Board

The Private Sector Advisory Board (PSAB) is a body of trusted, seasoned, strategic industry advisors comprised of respected Canadian industry leaders. PSAB was established by the Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat by request of the Government of Canada in 2007.

2009-10 Private Sector Advisory Board Members

The Honourable Perrin Beatty (Chair) is the President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. For five years, he was Co-Chair of the Canadian Labour and Business Centre. During his time in politics, he held a number of portfolios in Progressive Conservative governments, including Minister of State (Treasury Board), National Defense, Health and Welfare, and Solicitor General. He serves on a number of Canadian Government advisory committees. Previously, he was President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters as well as President and CEO of the CBC.

Sue Abu-Hakima is co-Founder, President and CEO of Amika Mobile Corporation, her second start-up, and holds 19 international patents, with a 20th pending. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Centres of Excellence and is the Chair of the Board of Management for the Center of Excellence for Communications and Information Technology. In 2003, she contributed to the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Women Entrepreneurs.

Cédric Bisson is the partner in charge of life sciences and energy investments at iNovia Capital. Previously, Mr. Bisson was an associate principal at McKinsey & Company, where he co-led the Canadian healthcare and innovation practices. Mr. Bisson has been a board member to Iaculor Injection, Milestone Pharmaceuticals, Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals, Resonant Medical, and BIOQuebec.

Alan Burgess brings a strong engineering and business background to product development. He is Chief Executive Officer and Director of Northwest Mettech, the leader in the plasma spray coating industry. He founded Mettech and has been President since its inception, gaining experience in everything from sales and financing to applications engineering. Mr. Burgess is a Board Member of Nanotech BC and is Scholarship & Awards Chairman for the International Thermal Spray Association.

James E.C. Carter (Jim), P. Eng. is a retired business executive who was with Syncrude Canada Ltd. for more than 27 years, including 10 as president. He played a key role in developing the untapped Alberta oil sands into an engine for securing Canada’s energy future. Currently, he serves on the board of EPCOR Inc. and is a director and past chair of the Mining Association of Canada. In 2005, he was named Resource Person of the Year by the Alberta Chamber of Resources.

Patrick Champagne has been Vice-President of CMC Electronics since 1998, working with its three sites in Quebec, Ontario, and the United States. He sits on the boards of the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec and Aéro Montréal, and previously, the Association de la recherche industrielle du Québec.

Adam Chowaniec is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tundra Semiconductor Corporation and Executive in Residence at Vengrowth Capital Partners Inc, as well as past Chair of the Information Technology Association of Canada Board of Directors. He has won awards for his leadership, business excellence, and innovation, including the Ottawa-Carleton Research Institute’s prestigious Chairperson Award.

Pierre Delagrave is President of Cossette Media, and founded several business units within the organisation over the past 35 years. He is a founding director of Conseil des Directeurs Medias du Québec, and has sat on the boards of COMB, Nadbank, BBM Surveys, and Centre d’études des medias. He is also Vice Chairman of Columbus Media International.

Paul Dottori is Vice President, Energy, Environment and Technology for Tembec Enterprises, Inc., where he has worked for 20 years. He is a past Board Director of the Industrial Gas Users Association and continues his work with committees and industry associations focused on solutions within the electricity and energy sectors. Hi expertise includes extensive experience and knowledge in energy and environmental operations and management, as well as in Government and First Nations relations.

Robert A. Gordon is President and Chair of the Corporation of Bishop’s University. He is a past President of the Association of Canadian and Community Colleges and chaired the Ontario Technology Fund for the Premier’s Council of Ontario. He has forty years of experience in the public education sector, including as president of Dawson and Humber colleges.

Raymond Leduc is the Director of IBM’s Bromont plant, the company’s largest semiconductor assembly and test site. He joined IBM in 1981, and has held various management positions at the site over the years. He oversees the production of components for all of IBM’s leading products, including Nintendo Wii, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Sony’s Playstation 3, at this site.

Donald Lush is President of Environmental Bio-detection Products Inc and Chairman of the Board of Microbial Insights. Working in technical, management and advisory roles, including as founder, president, and chairman of a number of environmental and technology companies internationally, he has 30 years of experience in environmental consulting.

Kevin O’Brien Fehr has worked with GlaxoSmithKline since 1992, managing research and genetics studies conducted with its Canadian partners. She previously spent five years as a liaison with the Canadian medical research community for Sandoz Canada. She serves in an advisory capacity on several Boards of Directors including the AllerGen NCE and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and works to attract international funding for Canadian researchers.

David Ross is President of Langara College and is an accomplished academic and administrative leader. He has held faculty positions in marketing and Entrepreneurship at Langara College, the University of New Brunswick, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and the Shad Valley Program. His experience spans 19 years of academic, corporate, and administrative successes.

Keith Stoodley is the Senior Vice-President – Marketing with the Provincial Aerospace Group of Companies which provides maritime surveillance to the Government of Canada and the Dutch Navy. He is the Chairperson of a public-private partnership focused on the development of the ocean industry cluster in Newfoundland and Labrador and has served as member and director for many environment and business associations. He is also a registered lobbyist with the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Jeff Turner is a biotech industry executive and entrepreneur with 20 years experience in Life Science product development/commercialization. Turner was CEO of Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics Inc. (TRT) and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. He has 34 domestic and international patents and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and abstracts. As President & CEO of Nexia Biotechnologies Inc., the 2nd largest transgenic animal company in the world, Turner managed 124 employees in Canada and the US. He was responsible for raising $67 million of private & public funding. Turner joined TRT as CEO in 2006 and completed a $20 million licensing agreement for the company’s stem cell technology.

The Networks of Centres of Excellence Management Committee

Janet Walden (Chair)

Vice-President of the Research Partnerships Program, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Ian Graham

Vice-President of Knowledge Translation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Gisèle Yasmeen

Vice-President of the Partnerships Branch, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

Jean-Claude Gavrel

Associate Vice-President of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE)

Danielle Ménard

Director, Policy and International Relations Division, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Karen Corkery

Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Industry Canada