Three Canadian federal granting agencies – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) – and Industry Canada combine their efforts to support and oversee the NCE initiative.

The funding for research and training in Canadian universities through the
agencies' peer-reviewed research programs is the foundation upon which the successful network approach is built.

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program has been operating successfully for fifteen years. In February 1997, the government established the NCE as a permanent program. Two years later, it increased the program's budget by $30 million bringing it to $77.4 million per year.

Networks of Centres of Excellence are unique partnerships among universities, industry, government and not-for-profit organizations aimed at turning Canadian research and entrepreneurial talent into economic and social benefits for all Canadians. These nation-wide, multidisciplinary and multisectorial research partnerships connect excellent research with industrial know-how and strategic investment.

What's In Our Name?

Excellence defines the individual researchers who have distinguished themselves through a record of peer-reviewed research. The Centres are created from this pool of excellent researchers who work together on common research projects. The Networks are institutes without walls, formed by Centres coming together to assemble a critical mass of intellectual capacity and to address strategic research questions deemed vital to Canada's social and economic development. Together, the Centres are capable of achieving more than the sum of their individual efforts.

What's Our Impact?

In 2004-2005, 830 companies, 266 provincial and federal government departments and agencies, 51 hospitals, 194 universities, and more than 365 other organizations from Canada and abroad were involved in the NCE program. The active involvement of Canadian industry provides stimulating training environments and employment opportunities for students. In fact, about 88 percent of network graduates are successful at finding jobs. In 2004-2005, the networks stimulated outside investments of over $71 million, including more than $28 million by participating private-sector companies.