FOCUS: To translate our growing understanding of the changing Arctic into impact assessments, national policies and adaptation strategies.

FUNDING: $6,776,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 36 researchers and 307 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 205 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Forged strong international partnerships with Arctic research organizations in Russia, Denmark, Norway, France and the United States.
• Began a 15-month research expedition of the CCGS Amundsen across the coastal Canadian Arctic.
• Linked up with students through the Schools on Board program that offers teenagers opportunities to participate in research programs onboard the CCGS Amundsen.

 www.arcticnet-ulaval.ca

“(Joint NABOS-ArcticNet activities) represent one of the most active and promising international collaborations in Arctic geography.”

— Dr. Igor Polyakov,
Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System (NABOS)
Network Scientist

FOCUS: To help build a stronger automotive sector in Canada through excellence in public/private sector collaborative research and the development of human and social capital.

FUNDING: $5,800,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 267 researchers and 437 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 179 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Developed QVision to improve the performance of automated parts inspection systems.
• Met the needs of Mahle Inc. by modifying sensor technology to provide real-time feedback on laser vibration welding.
• Produced a plug-in filtering system that can allow designers to view images the way an older driver might.

 www.auto21.ca

“Through Auto21, we have built up a number of industrial projects. We're working with Ford; we're working with International Trucks. We have daily communications with their engineers.”

— Dr. Ming Zheng,
Associate Professor at the University of Windsor (quoted in the Globe and Mail)

FOCUS: To stimulate innovations in photonics and promote their exploitation to generate wealth and enhance the quality of life for Canadians.

FUNDING: $4,243,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 115 researchers and 201 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 94 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Helped affiliate Teraxion to win a major contract supplying specialized photonic local oscillator systems for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array project – a breakthrough on the scale of the Hubble telescope.
• Worked with affiliate Cyrium Technologies of Ottawa to demonstrate a scale-up manufacturing process to produce highly efficient solar cells using nano-engineered materials.

 www.arthritisnetwork.ca

“[CAN has] brought together just about every significant arthritis researcher in the country and they provide this extraordinary training program for tomorrow's generation of young scientists and researchers.”

— Dr. David Hawkins,
Interim VP of Medical and Scientific Affairs for The Arthritis Society

FOCUS: To improve the quality of life of people with arthritis, decrease the personal, societal and economic burden of the disease and promote the growth of the Canadian economy through arthritis R&D.

FUNDING: $4,673,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 51 researchers and 885 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 227 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Initiated 16 clinical trials.
• Strengthened international partnerships with the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan and the United States.
• Partnered with Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) to produce a survey to identify the most urgent research needs of people living with arthritis.

 www.cipi.ulaval.ca

“I am proud that what started as a university project has resulted in a technology with such broad commercial appeal.”

— Dr. Michel Poulin,
former CIPI trainee

FOCUS: To improve language and literacy skills in Canadian children, enabling them to contribute more effectively to the social and economic life of their communities.

FUNDING: $3,550,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 92 researchers and 58 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 99 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Launched the Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Development, an innovative web-based resource for families, educators and others.
• Developed the From Birth… For Life resource kit in association with the Canadian Child Care Federation in order to better enable early childhood educators to encourage language and literacy development.

 www.cllrnet.ca

 “Canada's competitiveness in the future depends on our children being able to communicate, and targeting children in their early years is key to ensure they're successful.

— Donald G. Jamieson,
CLLRNet CEO and Scientific Director

FOCUS: To reduce the burden of stroke through leadership in research innovation.

FUNDING: $6,400,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 72 researchers and 163 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 121 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Distributed over 10,000 Sodium 101 fridge magnets to help people to make healthy food choices.
• Signed an agreement to collaborate with the U.S. National Institutes of Health on emerging stroke research.
• Presented evidence at the International Stroke Conference that nine out of 10 in-hospital deaths could be prevented within a week after stroke by putting organized care in place.

 www.canadianstrokenetwork.ca

“Countries in the European Union have joined forces in a unique effort to structure, integrate and advance stroke research. The European Stroke Network is modeled after the Canadian Stroke Network.”

— Dr. Stephen Meairs,
University of Heidelberg,
European Stroke Network

FOCUS: To establish and nurture partnerships and communities of practice that bring together multidisciplinary research excellence and water managers providing innovation and highly qualified people to address water resource management.

FUNDING: $5,155,510 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 23 researchers and 141 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 104 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Launched a national consortium to address the challenge of protecting groundwater supplies from pathogens. Secured $1 million of partner funding.
• Kickstarted two national teams (members including GE Water & Process Technologies, ZENON Membrane Solutions) to research membrane technologies for drinking water and wastewater.

 www.cwn-rce.ca

“Upgrading Canada's water and wastewater infrastructure is of paramount importance to maintain the sustainability of Canada's water supplies and ensure the country's economic prosperity.”

— Dr. Mark Servos,
CWN Scientific Director

FOCUS: To consolidate and strengthen the domestic geomatics industry while making optimum use of R&D resources, and to create a sustainable network that integrates all sectors of the geomatics community.

FUNDING: $3,520,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 185 researchers and 437 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 204 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• SimActive Inc., a GEOIDE-supported leader in 3D mapping, introduced its Correlator3D™ solution for producing digital surface models and digital terrain models.
• GEOIDE spin-off NSim Technologies joined a consortium led by DMR that won a $10-million contract from Defence Research and Development Canada, Valcartier.

 www.geoide.ulaval.ca

“Thanks to GEOIDE, I created strong relationships with key people across the country. These included collaboration with different universities and industrial organizations. Not only did I hear different perspectives on a given problem from a technical point of view, but these contacts facilitated the establishment of SimAcive.”

— Dr. Philippe Simard,
co-founder of SimActive Inc.

FOCUS: To advance Canadian civil engineering to a world leadership position through the development and application of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) and fibre optic sensors (FOSs) technologies.

FUNDING: $3,200,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 89 researchers and 184 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 71 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Began a partnership in a major study that could keep the historic buildings on Parliament Hill intact in the event of a major earthquake.
• Advanced the cause of strengthening international collaborations by hosting the Third International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure in Vancouver.

 www.isiscanada.com

“We believe that systems that monitor the ongoing health of structures will inevitably change our whole approach to structural design and maintenance.”

— Dr. Aftab Mufti,
Scientific Director of ISIS Canada (quoted in the Globe and Mail)

FOCUS: To lead the generation, application and commercialization of mathematical tools and methodologies within a world-class research program.

FUNDING: $5,856,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 198 researchers and 1024 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 313 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Partnered with Mobile Knowledge – a company offering advanced GPS, wireless, and mobile data communications technology for fleet management applications – to develop a scheduling algorithm for ambulances and courier vehicles.
• Developed three software packages for modeling protein folding that were licensed to Bioinformatics Solutions Inc. (Improper protein folding can lead to diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.)

 www.mitacs.ca

“Thanks to GEOIDE, I created strong relationships with key people across the country. These included collaboration with different universities and industrial organizations. Not only did I hear different perspectives on a given problem from a technical point of view, but these contacts facilitated the establishment of SimActive.”

— Dr. Philippe Simard,
co-founder of SimActive Inc.

FOCUS: To lead the generation, application and commercialization of mathematical tools and methodologies within a world-class research program.

FUNDING: $5,362,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 72 researchers and 92 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 68 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Defined a second prion protein called Shadoo – the first discovery of a new prion protein since 1985.
• Advanced research work on a prototype vaccine that triggers immune responses in healthy sheep to prevent prion-related infections.
• Organized funding of 19 Canadian projects to research diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob in humans.

 www.prionetcanada.ca

“PrioNet Canada provides funding, scientific platforms, networking and training opportunities. I am benefiting from all of these.”

— Dr. Xavier Roucou,
the University of Sherbrooke

FOCUS: To be a catalyst for enabling translation of stem cell research into clinical applications, commercial products or public policy.

FUNDING: $7,541,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 75 researchers and 434 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 147 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Supported the behind-the-scenes work that led to the creation of the $100-million Cancer Stem Cell Consortium in partnership with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
• Helped transform a training program in regenerative medicine into a nationally accredited graduate-level course.
• Supported research to enable groundbreaking clinical trial for patients with pulmonary hypertension disease.

 www.stemcellnetwork.ca

“The whole Cancer Stem Cell Consortium initiative emanated from the SCN's cancer stem cell project. Without the support of the Network from the outset, none of this would have been possible.”

— Dr. John Hassell,
McMaster University

FOCUS: To enable industry and government partners to develop strategies and tools to sustain Canada's forests.

FUNDING: $4,100,000 in 2007-2008.

STRENGTH: 184 researchers and 310 highly qualified people.

PARTNERSHIP POWER: 123 industry, public sector and academic partners.

KEY 2007-2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Began work on major Forest Futures project to consolidate and focus expertise in determining plausible futures for Canada's forests, and to consider the implications of these futures on our society, the economy and the environment.
• Contributed to the changing views on fighting forest fires in uninhabited areas of the northern forests where fires are not ecologically damaging.

 www.sfmnetwork.ca

“The SFMN has been a leader in Canada's university forest research community, showing that it can deliver excellent science on a national scale in a way that speaks to a broad spectrum of forest practitioners.”

— Fraser Dunn,
Chairman of the SFMN Board