Canada

1
Canadas Centres of Excellence Programs

• Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada
• Board meeting, Ottawa - November 14, 2008
• Jean-Claude Gavrel
• Associate Vice-President, NSERC
• Networks of Centres of Excellence

2
Contents

• Canadian RD landscape at a glance
• Federal Governments commitment to ST
• NCE programs
• Impacts on innovation

3
Canadas RD at a glance (2006)

• GERD 2006 28.1 billion
• GERD/GDP 1.94 (GDP 1.4B)
• Business is largest RD performer (15.4B)
• Top 100 companies ? 53 of RD
• 200 firms with more than 10M, 1,200 more than
  1M
• Higher education RD second (10B)
• Federal government 2nd largest RD funder (5.3
  B)
• 2.3B intramural, 2.6B HE, 0.7B Bus.
• Plus forfeits approx 2B in RD tax credits

4
Canada Ranks in Middle of Pack On Concentration
of Highly Cited Scientists
(1) Leaders Roundtable on Commercialization,
April 2006
Highly Cited Scientists Per 1M Population
Switzerland U.S. U.K. Sweden Canada Australia Germ
any France Japan Italy
10.9 9.9 5.7 5.3 4.3 4.3 2.5 1.9 1.5 0.9
Source The Boston Consulting Group
5
(1) Leaders Roundtable on Commercialization,
April 2006
Canada lags in Innovation as measured by Sales
from New or Improved Products
Canada vs. Europe (per cent of firms)
80
70
59
60
41
40
31
20
0
Less than one quarter of sales
More than one quarter of sales
Note Numbers may not add up, due to
rounding Source CBoC Statistics Canada, Survey
of Innovation, 1999 Europe CIS-2, Eurostat
Calculations by Pierre Mohnen and Pierre Therrien
6
Universities Central to Research in Canada

• At 10B /year, universities represent 1/3 of
  Canadas total RD expenditures (federal support
  approx. 2.8B/ year)
• 1/3 of all RD jobs.
• Universities train engineers, masters and Ph.Ds
  needed by industry, govt. and user sectors to
  carry out and apply RD
• Masters and PhDs create new spin-off companies

UBC campus, Vancouver, BC
7
Canadas Federal Support for University Research

• SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE
• Canada Graduate Scholarships (132M/yr)
• Canada Research Chairs Program
• (300 M/yr)

• SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH
• Granting agencies
• - CIHR (740M/yr)
• - NSERC (780M/yr)
• - SSHRC (300M/yr)
• Genome Canada (840M to date, approx 100M/year)

• SUPPORT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
• Canada Foundation for Innovation
• (4B since 1997- approx 300M/y )

• SUPPORT FOR INDIRECT COSTS
• Indirect Costs Program (330M/yr)

SUPPORT FOR MOBILIZATION Networks of Centres of
Excellence (82.4 M/yr)
8
Canadas federal ST Strategy
Vision building a sustainable national
competitive advantage through ST
Core principles Promoting World-Class
Excellence, Focusing on Priorities,
Fostering Partnerships, Enhancing
Accountability
9
2007 ST Strategy NCE Secretariat
Three new programs to further address the
"innovation gap" between valuable research
results and the new, marketable products and
services that drive economic growth

• Entrepreneurial Advantage through Public-private
  research and commercialization partnerships
• Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and
  Research (CECR)
• Business-led NCE (BL-NCE)
• Knowledge Advantage through opportunities for ST
  graduates
• Industrial RD Internship program (IRDI)

Managed by the NCE Secretariat with the support
of a Private Sector Advisory Board (PSAB)
10
A suite of Partnership Programs

• NCE (82.4M per year)
• Research-driven partnerships longer-term goals
• 2 x 7 years, Complete funding for research,
  admin, KT/TT
• CECR (165M-2008 competition 62M-2009
  competition)
• Public-private research commercialization
  partnerships
• 5 years funding for operating commercialization
  (50-75)
• BL-NCE (46M over 4 years)
• Private sector problem-driven research
  partnerships
• 4 years for funding for research, admin, KT/TT
  (50-75)
• Industrial RD Internships (8.5 M for first 2
  years)
• RD terms for graduate postdocs in industry
  setting
• Cost shared _at_ 50

11
NCE program mandate since 1989

• To mobilize Canadas research talent in the
  academic, private and public sectors and apply it
  to the task of developing the economy and
  improving the quality of life of Canadians

12
NCEs are Virtual Institutes

• Partnership uni. govt. ind.
• Governed by Board of Directors
• Led by Scientific Director
• Supported by administrative centre

• Research areas relevant to needs of receptor
  community and partners
• Research projects complementary and link into
  coherent research program
• Research directions reviewed and updated
  regularly to reflect changing needs

13
The NCE Recipe

• Selected on the basis of excellence and
  relevance
• Researchers/research program
• Networking/partnership
• HQP training
• Knowledge/Technology Transfer
• Management
• Supported long-term support (14 years) large
  scale (5-10M/yr)
• Accountable for success (annual reporting and
  full review every 3.5 years)

14
Health, Human Development and Biotechnology
(18)

• Allergies AllerGen
• Arthritis CAN
• Cardiovascular strokes CSN
• StemCell SCN
• Advanced Foods Materials AFMNet
• BSE/TSE PrioNet
• Early Child development CllrNet
• Care of the Elderly (NI) NICE
• Obesity (NI) CON
• Anti-bullying PREVNet
• Genetic Diseases CGDN (1989-2007)
• Vaccines Immunotherapeutics CANVAC
  (1999-2007)
• Bacterial Diseases CBDN (1989-2005)
• Protein Engineering PENCE (1989-2005)
• Evidence Based Health Management HEALNet
  (1995-2002)
• Respiratory Health Network Inspiraplex
  (1989-1998)
• NeuroScience Network (1989-1998)
• Ageing CARNET (1989-1994)

15
Information Communications technologies (7)

• Photonics CIPI
• Geomatics GEOIDE
• Mathematics MITACS
• Robotics Intelligent systems IRIS
  (1989-2006)
• Microelectronic Devices, Circuits Systems
  Micronet (1989-2005)
• Telecommunications CITR (1989-2003)
• Telelearning Network of Centres of Excellence
  (1995-2002)

16
Environment and Natural Resources (6)

• Sustainable Forests SFM
• Clean Water CWN
• Arctic environment ArcticNet
• Space environment CNSR (1989-1998)
• Ocean enhancement OPEN (1989-1994)
• Aquaculture AquaNet (1999-2006)

17
Manufacturing/Automobile Engineering (2)

• New materials and smart structures ISIS
• Automobile of the 21st Century Auto21

18
Other (6)

• Molecular Interfacial Dynamics CEMAID
  (1989-1994)
• Advanced Cement Technologies Concrete Canada
  (1989-1998)
• Mechanical Wood-Pulps Network MWP
  (1989-2004)
• Biotechnology for Insect Pest Management Insect
  Biotech (1989-1994)
• Design CDRN (2005-2007)
• Global Economics EDGE (2005-2007)

19
The NCE Contributions

• Stimulate production of advanced, world class
  research in areas of strategic growth and
  opportunity for Canada
• Train and retain world class, highly qualified,
  entrepreneurial people
• Encourage transfer and diffusion of technology
  and knowledge to industry and society.
• Engage private sector in RD culture

20
20 years of impact

• 39 networks since 1989 (18 ongoing)
• ICT, health, environment, natural resources,
  engineering
• Involvement of over 1,700 NCE partners annually
• 1000s of patents, 100s of licenses
• Over 150 spin-off companies
• Innovative training of students
• (IP, entrepreneurship)
• Proof of concept support (TechnologyGAP, etc.)
• Policy and practice impacts (AB Forest
  Management, National Stroke Strategy)
• Support of government priorities

21
The secret of the collaboration model
NCE Collaborations
Academia Partners
Private Sector Partners
Research
Problem
Simultaneous Push-Pull
22
NCE Programs
Steering Ctee Presidents Deputy Minister
Private Sector Advisory Board
Secretariat 23 Staff
International Peer Review
CFI
Independent Networks and Centres
23
Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and
Research (CECR)

• Goal Create internationally recognized centres
  of commercialization and research
• 4 priority areas (Health, Energy/Natural
  Resources, ICT, Environment)
• Funds for operating and commercialization
  activities (75/50) cost-shared with partners
• 5 years commercialization centres expected
  self-sustaining
• Evaluated through two-stage peer review involving
  a Private Sector Advisory Board
• Three criteria
• Benefit to Canada,
• Track record/potential of applicants,
• Business Plan

24
11 CECRs announced February 14, 2008

• Advanced Applied Physics Solutions Inc. (AAPS),
  Vancouver, BC
• Bioindustrial Innovation Centre (BIC), Sarnia, ON
• Centre for the Commercialization of Research
  (CCR),Ottawa, ON
• Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD),
  Vancouver, BC
• Centre of Excellence in Personalized Medicine
  (CEPMed), Montreal, QC
• Centre for Probe Development and
  Commercialization (CPDC), Hamilton, ON

• Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer
  CECR in Therapeutics Discovery (IRICoR),
  Montreal, QC
• MaRS Innovation (MI),Toronto, ON
• The Prostate Centres Translational Research
  Initiative for Accelerated Discovery and
  Development (PC-TRIADD)Vancouver, BC
• Pan-Provincial Vaccine Enterprise (PREVENT),
  Saskatoon, SK
• CECR in the Prevention of Epidemic Organ Failure
  (PROOF), Vancouver, BC

25
Business-led NCEs (BL-NCE)

• Goal Increase industry RD capacity through
  public-private collaborations
• Sector-driven/problem-driven research
  partnerships
• 5 priority areas (ST 4 plus social MBF)
• Focused on generating significant benefits for
  Canada
• Eligible research performers can include private
  sector
• Maximum 50 of research, commercialization and
  operating costs (co-funded by partners)
• Two stage peer review as for CECR (PSAB and three
  criteria)

26
Industrial RD Internships

• Goal Introduce graduate students and post
  doctoral fellows to practical business problems
• 4-mth internships in private sector
• Modeled after MITACS internship program
• Offer industry opportunity to access world class
  research
• Managed program involving business development
  officers linking industry with students
• Cost shared with industry
• ACCELERATE Canada consortium of 13 NCEs (and
  other partners) announced April 16, 2008

27
New CECRs and NCEs in 2009

• 4-5 BL-NCEs (in 5 priority areas)
• 4-5 CECRs (focus environment/ICT)
• 15M for new 5-year cycle NCEs

28
Examples of Impacts from NCEs

• 2006 revisions to Canadian Highway Bridge Design
  Code allow use of fibre reinforced polymers to
  strengthen and reinforce concrete and wood
  bridges and structuresprovisions based largely
  on ISIS research
• Sustainable Forest Management Network,
  responsible for new strategies in forest
  harvesting taking into consideration ecological,
  economic and social dimensions of sustainability.
• CSN best practices developed for stroke
  prevention, care and rehabilitation could prevent
  160,000 strokes, avert disability in 60,000
  Canadians, and save 8 billion in health care
  costs over 20 years

29
Drivers of Change from AUCC

• Heightened recognition worldwide of critical
  links between Univ. RD and national
  prosperity/quality of life
• Global race to attract and retain research talent
  and highly qualified university graduates
• Growing costs and complexity of University RD
• Increased emphasis on measuring impact of
  University RD
• Strong impetus to partner across institutional,
  sectoral and geographic boundaries.

30
AND BUSINESS!
C A N A D A
www.nce.gc.ca
Thank you, merci,