Presentation at the ACCC Annual Conference

1
The College and Institute Applied Research and
Innovation Agenda

• Presentation at the ACCC Annual Conference
• by the ACCC College and Institute
• Applied Research Task Group
• May 28, 2002

2
Background - Why Are We Here?

• Little recognition of the colleges applied
  research role in the national research agenda
• ACCC Environmental Scan of Colleges and
  Institutes identified applied research as an
  emerging priority
• ACCC initiated opportunities for colleges and
  institutes to share successes and concerns in the
  areas of applied research, innovation and
  technology transfer

3
Background - Why Are We Here?

• Three ACCC National Applied Research Symposiums
• October 1998, November 1999, February 2001
• ACCC College Canada Publications
• Research in Colleges and Institutes - 1999
• Do Colleges and Institutes Contribute to Economic
  Development - 2000
• February 2001 Symposium recommended establishing
  an applied research working group

4
ACCC College and Institute Applied Research Task
Group

• Established in May 2001 at the ACCC Annual
  Conference in Windsor and given one year mandate
• Objective of the Task Group
• to create an environment and opportunities for
  colleges and institutes to contribute to
  community and regional development through the
  application/commercialization of new knowledge

5
Task Group Members

• Ron Woodward, President, Red Deer College and
  Chair of Task Group
• Skip Bassford, President, University College of
  the Fraser Valley
• David Woolnough, Director of Applied Research,
  Nova Scotia Community College - Annapolis Valley
• Jeanne Comeau, Dean, Applied Research
  Development, CCNB-Bathurst
• Jacek Mlynarek, Chief Executive Officer, Centre
  for Textile Technologies
• Marti Jurmain, Director, New Product Development,
  Niagara College
• Nadeya Mohammed, Research Coordinator, Michener
  Institute for Applied Health Sciences

6
Identification of Four Capacity Building Actions

• 1.National Inventory of College and Institute
  Applied Research Capacity
• 2. Awareness Strategy
• 3. Funding Programs
• 4. Information Sharing / Mentoring / Networking

7
National Research Inventory

• Develop National Inventory of
• innovation activities
• institutional capacity to support innovation
  activities
• human resources that contribute to innovation
  activities

8
Awareness Strategy

• Develop strategy and support materials that would
  assist ACCC and its member institutions to
  enhance the understanding of their strengths,
  capabilities and interests to industry,
  governments and other appropriate organizations

9
Funding Programs

• Funding Programs
• Establish new funding mechanisms at the national
  level that would enable colleges and institutes
  to make a greater contribution to innovation in
  Canada
• Encourage existing funding agencies to adapt
  their programs to include colleges and
  institutes, recognizing their unique capabilities
  and experience

10
Information Sharing / Mentoring / Networking

• Develop a networking and mentoring program
• to share best practices
• to encourage the development of applied research
  activities

11
Applied Research and Innovation in Community
Colleges A Quantitative Assessment
12
The Survey of Applied Research and Innovation in
Canadian Community Colleges

• Initiated and encouraged by Industry Canada, with
  support from ACCC
• First of its kind
• Objective
• To identify the applied research and innovation
  capabilities of Colleges and Institutes

13
A representative sample
14
A Passion for Applied Research Innovation

• DESPITE Limitations, 70 conducted applied
  research,
• Strategic Institutional Direction
• 46 of sample claimed mission statements included
  research as an element
• 32 of sample specified that their institutions
  had set performance targets for RD
• Research Support
• An average of 43 support grant application/
  administration/ contract negotiation processes
• 29 have intellectual property management services

15
A Passion for Applied Research Innovation

• Incentives for faculty
• 9 get remuneration for research
• 20 get promotions based on research prowess
• 10 get awards and recognition
• 24 get release time from teaching
• Research Funding for 2001-2 (data based on those
  colleges that choose to declare them, and have
  not been confirmed/tested for accuracy)
• 9.2 million from federal Government
• 18.6 million from provincial/municipal government

16
44 Applied Research Centres Across Canada

• Employing 317 employees, with an additional 283
  Faculty associated with the Centres, and 1019
  students.

17
Applied Research with Tangible Results!A
Sampling of Innovative Products

• Pyng Medical Inc.
• BCIT refined an entrepreneur's unproven,
  patented medical device
• Supported entrepreneur into establishing company
• Company currently employs 11 and has annual sales
  exceeding 400,000
• GRAPE GBW32
• An educational tool - Graphic Realtime Analysis
  Program for Engineering (GRAPE) developed by
  Red River College is now a software product used
  by engineering firms worldwide.
• Transfeeder, Inc
• A compressed forage bailor system was developed
  by Olds College
• The Transfeeder employs 200 people province wide,
  with 750 million in sales.

18
Applied Research with Tangible Results!A
Sampling of Innovative Products

• Development of a workplace competency skills
  assessment tool for HDRC
• Ecological restoration and eco-tourism program
  funded by IDRC
• Environmental Research Laboratories
• Aquatic and Marine life Coastal Research
• Coastal Integrated Resource Management Program
• Development of online educational software
• Utilization of biosolids as a soil amendment with
  pulp and paper industries
• Research in outdoor play field
• New ways of producing and presenting 3-D Models
  to forecast analyze and plan regional economic
  expansion
• Business Incubator Program supportive
  workshops, coaching, facilities and services

19
Achieving Despite The Challenges!
Achievements are even more remarkable when
considering the Challenges Faced (ranked from
lowest to highest)
20
An Untapped Applied Research Infrastructure

• 35 own/operate research centres / incubators
• Cover key areas of specialization areas such as
  digital, agricultural, marine, automotive,
  electronics, trade/commerce, education, medical
• With expert human resources
• 14,000 faculty members
• 254,330 students
• With existing collaboration and links to
• Local economic development agencies
• 900 communities across Canada

21
Our Colleges
22
APPLIED RESEARCH INNOVATIONinCanadas
Colleges InstitutesBROCHURE
23
Applied Research Innovation - Brochure
24
(No Transcript)
25
General Purpose

• Awareness piece
• Highlight involvement and successes of colleges
  and institutes in applied research and technology
  transfer

26
Goals

• Raise awareness of action and potential
• Profile some examples and best practices
• Improve opportunities for activities and

27
Target Audience

• Governments
• Federal, provincial, municipal
• Ministries
• Council of Ministers of Education (CMEC),
• Ministries of economic development,
• Ministries of science and technology
• Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME)

28
Target Audience (continued)

• Sector councils
• Associations such as Canadian Advanced Technology
  Association
• Chambers of Commerce
• Granting councils
• NRC (and IRAP)
• NSERC
• CFI
• Provincial matching granting organizations

29
Target Audience (continued)

• Specific business and industry
• Specific to the region or province
• Colleges and institutes
• Provincial associations for colleges and
  institutes
• Universities

30
FUNDING PROGRAMS
31
ACCC Advocacy Successes for Support of Applied
Research in Colleges and Institutes

• Canada Foundation for Innovation
• 2 rounds of competition under the College
  Research Development Fund (1999 2000) 1 round
  of competition under the Innovation Fund (2001)
• 55 funded projects
• 22.9 million
• some 60 colleges eligible to apply to CFI

32
ACCC Advocacy Successes for Support of Applied
Research in Colleges and Institutes

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
  (NSERC)
• Mission statement was revised in 1999 to allow
  colleges and institutes to participate in NSERC
  project research programs as co-applicants with
  universities.
• 4 colleges have received eligibility status
  (CCNB-Bathurst, Olds College, NSCC and BCIT).
• Several other colleges are in different stages of
  eligibility application process.

33
ACCC Advocacy Successes for Support of Applied
Research in Colleges and Institutes

• National Research Council-Industrial Research
  Assistance Program
• strong IRAP-College Collaborations in most
  provinces and territories
• Continued dialogue with senior representatives of
  federal granting agencies i.e. Social Sciences
  and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian
  Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

34
On-going Advocacy

• ACCC presentation to the federal governments
  Standing Committee on Finance
• ACCC presentation to the Roundtable of the
  Standing Committee on Industry, Science and
  Technology to present the Associationss
  perspective on the peer review process, the
  current funding mechanisms of federal granting
  councils and the role of research chairs.

35
On-going Advocacy (contd)

• ACCC proposal to Industry Canada for the creation
  of a Canadian College Innovation and Technical
  Assistance Program to enhance applied research,
  technology transfer and commercialization through
  Canadas colleges and institutes and their
  business/industry partners
• Since the Innovation Strategy release, ongoing
  dialogue with ACCC, senior government officials
  and college presidents

36
Objectives of the Task Group

• Get the Rules Changed!
• Get Funding!

37
What Has the ACCC Applied Research Task Group
Accomplished So Far?

• Meetings with
• senior policy decision makers at Industry Canada
  to profile the untapped applied research and
  innovation potential of colleges and institutes
• senior representatives of PreCarn and Technology
  Partnerships Canada to discuss future
  collaborative initiatives targeted at colleges
  and technical institutes and SMEs
• Canadian Manufacturers Exporters
• the publisher of Reearch Money

38
What Has the ACCC Applied Research Task Group
Accomplished So Far?

• Profiled college and institute applied research
  expertise in research magazine Decouvrir
  May/June 2002
• submitted a Concept Paper to the Council of
  Ministers of Education Canada recommending that
  the provinces mandate innovation and applied
  research in colleges and institutes, allocate
  operating dollars and provide matching funds to
  support research and, implement policies and
  procedures that will allow faculty, staff and
  students to undertake applied research.

39
What Has the ACCC Applied Research Task Group
Accomplished So Far?

• Since the release of the Innovation Strategy,
  working on a concept paper which will respond to
  the need for economic development strategies in
  communities and regions across Canada and
  highlight the college and institute expertise in
  the area of industrial support to small and
  medium-sized enterprises at the technology
  transfer, product development and
  commercialization levels.

40
NETWORKING / INFORMATION SHARING / MENTORING
41
Networking / Information Sharing / Mentoring

• Working together to foster innovation activities
  in colleges and institutes regionally and
  nationally
• Actions recommended include
• Regional / National Workshops / Conferences
• ACCC National Advocacy and Partnerships
• Innovation / RD Page on ACCC Website
• Institutional / Personal Buddy Networks
• Faculty, Staff, Student Exchanges

42
Regional / National Workshops / Conferences

• in Ottawa, connect with federal partners and
  agencies
• in conjunction with ACCC Annual conference
• regional/provincial meetings

43
ACCC National Advocacy and Partnerships

• with federal departments and funding agencies
• with other organizations (AUCC, PreCarn, CME)

44
Innovation / RD Page on ACCC Website

• links to funding sources (provincial and federal)
• access to capacity survey information
• updated success stories

45
Institutional / Personal Buddy Networks

• connect institutions and individuals to share
  ideas and grow
• list serve of individuals who wish to share
  information

46
Faculty, Staff, Student Exchanges

• joint project opportunities
• expertise sharing

47
NEXT STEPS
48
The Task Group will ...

• Meet in June to finalize their strategy and
  incorporate any recommendations brought forward
  at the ACCC Annual Conference Workshop.
• Create an Implementation Committee to carry out
  strategies formulated by the ACCC College and
  Institute Applied Research Task Group

49
The Task Group will (contd)

• Ensure college and institute participation in the
  Innovation Strategy national/regional summits
  organized by Industry Canada
• Respond to Industry Canadas invitation to submit
  a proposal to improve Canadas innovation
  performance through colleges and institutes
• Position the college and technical institute
  innovation agenda for Budget 2003

50
DISCUSSION
51
INVESTING IN COLLEGES AND INSTITUTES IS MOVING
OUR ECONOMY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY