NRC Helping Build New Technology Cluster in Regina
Members of Regina's business, university, and government communities recently participated in a NRC-led innovation roundtable to map out a plan for the province's technology cluster in sustainable infrastructure.
The meeting was the first formal consultation with the province's municipal infrastructure community following February's federal budget announcement of $10 million in funding for the creation of a National Research Council Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research in Regina (NRC-CSIR). The initiative will help the city of Regina achieve cost-effective, community-based actions to meet its existing and future infrastructure challenges in sustainable ways, and to become a national centre for environmental infrastructure management research and innovation. Other communities in Canada will benefit by adopting systems proven in and modelled on Regina. The initiative will also provide competitive advantages to Saskatchewan businesses, especially those in Regina, in the areas of information technology (IT) applications and environmental management technologies. This Centre will be supported by NRC's Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC) and closely linked to regional and national research facilities.
"NRC will continue to consult with the research and business community to determine how we can translate the idea of a sustainable municipal infrastructure cluster from dream to reality," said Dr. Arthur Carty. "I want to emphasize however, that NRC is not alone in this initiative - it is one of the players. This is a community-based effort and it is our active and committed partners that are the foundation of success in cluster development."
Based on the partners' interests and competencies, initial research will deal with problems in the areas of potable water, storm water and wastewater. NRC will undertake collaborative R&D projects in areas such as infrastructure decision support systems and IT applications and water quality indicators and associated technologies for drinking and effluent water. NRC will establish a new research unit of about 12 employees. This core group would be supplemented by graduate students and guest workers from partner organizations to form a critical mass of 25-30 researchers.
Find out more about NRC's role in the development of community-based innovation and about the NRC Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC :
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