HOME | THE YEAR'S HIGHLIGHTS | Mobilizing high-quality people across Canada

As Dr. Thomas Brzustowski, Chair of the Steering Committee, remarked at the Annual General Meeting, the NCE program "is about helping to solve big and complex problems important to Canada that require new perspectives and new understanding."

To do that, Dr. Brzustowski stressed, we need highly qualified personnel who can bring fresh approaches to problem-solving: "If the problem is really important and we don’t know how to deal with it today, then we must educate the people who will know how to do a better job of it tomorrow."

Mobilizing highly qualified personnel is a key requirement for each NCE to secure its funding. In 2004-2005, the NCE program directly supported 2,952 research associates and technicians and research trainees such as postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and summer students. Another 2,631 were involved with NCE project work, though supported through other means. These young scientists will be the leaders in their fields in a few years and will be solving those "big and complex problems."

Also, the active involvement of industry in NCE-enabled research strengthens employment opportunities for these trainees: 88% are successful in finding jobs.