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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Welcome to the 2004-2005 Networks of Centres
of Excellence (NCE) Annual Report, the theme of which is mobilizing
excellence. It is a simple theme, but one we chose carefully.
Mobilizing excellence is what the NCE program has done for
a decade and a half. It is what we did exceptionally well
in 2004-2005. And it is what we will continue to do in the
future to encourage innovative, enterprising research.
Over the past year we marked the 15th anniversary of the
NCE, which, given the program's history of achievement,
was something worthy of celebration. Our recent performance,
however, provided an even greater sense of accomplishment:
Using any yardstick, the past year was one of strong growth
and solid gains.
The NCE program stimulated outside investments of more than
$71 million in 2004-2005, including $28 million
from private sector companies. This represents an increase
of almost 22% in partnership funding over 2003-2004 and is
a clear indication of how the NCE creates investment synergies.
When NCE funding is included, almost $150 million was
channelled into research, training and commercialization.
Overall, 830 companies, 266 provincial and federal government
departments and agencies, 51 hospitals, 194 universities,
and 365 organizations from Canada and around the world were
linked through NCE-enabled activities. More than 7,000 researchers
and HQP (highly qualified personnel such as research associates
and technicians, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students)
were involved in NCE projects.
NCE scientists were issued 37 patents (up from 31 in 2003-2004)
with 5,673 papers published in refereed scientific journals
(up by more than 2,000 from the previous year). In total,
48 licences were granted or are being negotiated, while six
new Canadian companies owe their existence to NCE-supported
research.
The past year also saw the fruition of changes initiated
in 2000, when the NCE program revised its selection criteria
to put more emphasis on the social sciences. In 2004-2005,
NCE-sponsored projects were just as likely to be about producing
evidence to support the efficacy of early-childhood literacy
programs as proving the durability of fibre-reinforced polymer
in construction. In other words, we are as actively involved
in improving Canada's social structures as we are our
physical ones.
It was also a year of change. AllerGen – Allergy, Genes
and Environment Network was successful in its application
and has commenced the task of building a network of researchers
and partners to investigate causes of and potential treatments
for allergies – an increasingly important health concern.
Meanwhile, four of the original networks successfully completed
their funding cycles. The work done by the Canadian Bacterial
Diseases Network (CBDN), IRIS – The Institute for Robotics
and Intelligent Systems, Micronet – Microelectronic
Devices, Circuits and Systems, and PENCE – The Protein
Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence will be carried
on in the networking structures they have created and by the
thousands of talented young people they have trained.
It was also a year of change for me. Having chaired the NCE
steering committee for 10 years as part of my role as President
of Science and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC), I am stepping
aside to return to academia to take up challenging new teaching
and consulting roles. As the NCE Chair, the past decade has
provided me with the opportunity to come to know well some
of the most innovative scientists in the world who are hard
at work across Canada. I leave both humbled by and appreciative
of that opportunity.
In conclusion, let me restate that the NCE program was created
to mobilize excellence. It was designed as a Canadian initiative
of Industry Canada and is funded by three granting agencies:
NSERC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),
and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
The NCE program stresses the importance of using scientific
research to improve Canada's economy and our quality
of life. This is made possible through the support of Canada's
universities, which provide the networks with the infrastructure
and research personnel they require. We are truly grateful
for their co-operation.
The achievements realized over the past year – and
over the past 15 years – stand as a testament to the
energy, enthusiasm and enterprising nature of the scientific
directors and the leadership teams of the individual networks.
They have built bridges between academia and industry. They
have connected scientists from diverse disciplines and challenged
them to find new solutions to old and emerging problems. On
behalf of myself and Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of
the CIHR, and Dr. Marc Renaud, President of SSHRC, I
thank them for their vitally important contributions.
I would also like to thank the Honourable David Emerson,
the Minister of Industry, for his continued support and encouragement.
Thomas A. Brzustowski
Chair
NCE Steering Committee
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