NSERC and PSEPC Announce New Research Program to Assess and Manage Risks to Society's Critical Infrastructures

Ottawa, Ontario, March 1, 2004 – The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) have launched a $3 million joint program to fund research in the area of critical infrastructure interdependencies.

Under the program, scientists and engineers in the academic, industrial and government sectors will work together to understand the connections between the country’s major energy, communications, finance, health care, food, water and transportations systems, and what happens when a system fails. Each is complex, but their interdependencies, which can leave them vulnerable to cascading collapses, are even less well understood.

This initiative, which is part of ongoing national efforts to secure and protect Canada’s critical infrastructure, was announced today at the opening of the Infrastructure Interdependencies Workshop held in Ottawa.

“Our key underlying infrastructures in this country are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected,” said Janet Walden, NSERC’s Vice-President, Research Partnerships Programs. “It is important that we understand the links between our critical infrastructures and their vulnerabilities so that we can minimize the risks to Canadian society in the event of failure.”

“Recent events, including the August 2003 blackout in Ontario and north eastern USA, have clearly demonstrated the domino effect possible when a failure in one system due to an accident, natural disaster or act of terrorism can lead to multiple failures in other systems,” said NSERC President Tom Brzustowski. “NSERC is proud to be partnering with PSEPC to support this important research whose goal is to protect us all from the potential harm of such eventualities.”

Funding for projects under the new Joint Infrastructure Interdependencies Research Program will be available for a maximum of three years. A full program description and application instructions for university researchers appears on NSERC’s Web site at http://www.nserc.gc.ca/programs/jiirp_e.htm. The application deadline is September 1, 2004.

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada was created by the Prime Minister on December 12, 2003. This new department brings together the core functions of security and intelligence, policing and law enforcement, corrections and crime prevention, border services facilitation and emergency preparedness. The Government of Canada is in a position to provide an integrated response to all emergencies and threats, whether they are health-related natural disasters or security emergencies.

NSERC, now also known as Science and Engineering Research Canada, is a key federal agency investing in people, discovery and innovation. It supports both basic university research through research grants, and project research through partnerships among postsecondary institutions, government and the private sector, as well as the advanced training of highly qualified people.

For more information, contact:

Francis Lionnet
NSERC Communications
Tel.: (613) 992-9001
E-mail: fzl@nserc.ca

Shawn Dearn
Manager, Emergency Public Communications
Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness
Public Security and Emergency Preparedness Canada
Tel.: (613) 944-4923