A review of Canada's Top 100 Corporate Research and Development Spenders reveals that five companies in the top 10 are partners of the MITACS Network of Centres of Excellence – a unique national network that promotes the use of sophisticated mathematical tools to help solve complex industrial and societal problems.

With Top 100 R&D Spenders Partner with MITACS #1 Nortel Networks #2 Bell Canada #6 IBM Canada Inc. #7 Alcan Inc. #9 Bombardier Aerospace #11 Alcatel Canada Inc. #15 Cognos Inc. #16 Telus Corp. #25 Hydro-Québec #29 Ballard Power Systems #92 Biomira Source: Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders 2006, RE$EARCH Infosource Inc.

"The private sector has really started to believe in and embrace mathematical tools and methodologies. The proof is in the numbers. MITACS has 134 industry partners, both small and large companies, who have made significant investments in mathematical sciences research," says Dr. Arvind Gupta, CEO and Scientific Director of MITACS.

MITACS' arrival on the Canadian landscape in 1999 created a new competitive opportunity that few companies realized existed – how advanced mathematics can lead to productivity and profits through increased efficiencies, cost savings and better pricing strategies. The more than 400 researchers and 700 students who form the backbone of this national network are applying their unique skills to help companies on a variety of fronts, from streamlining manufacturing processes to using new software applications capable of calculating financial risk variables in hypothetical scenarios.

Mathematics: Fueling Canada's Knowledge Economy
As more traditional manufacturing jobs move to lower-cost jurisdictions like India and China, western countries are realizing that their greatest competitive advantage is in creating a strong knowledge-based economy. Dr. Gupta sees a strong role for mathematics in this new economy.

"We hadn't thought about this role for MITACS when we started, but in some ways, we've found the sweet spot of what society needs. There's been a huge boom in the type of things that MITACS can do for society. We've only begun to tap the number of partners who could benefit from our network," says Dr. Gupta.

MITACS Outcomes (1999-00 to 2005) - 98 industry partners (43 small- and medium-sized enterprises and 55 large companies) - 14 patents - 11 licensing agreements - 48 software packages - 7 start-ups (equity investment in one) - 1 industry consortium - More than 300 graduate degrees

Dr. Gupta says the key to building a successful knowledge base is to train a critical mass of knowledge workers who can apply their university skills to the private sector. It's a feat that few countries have been able to achieve.

"A company may no longer manufacture a drug in Canada, but they are thinking about the next five-year development cycle. Whether or not they stay in Canada will depend on access to high-level knowledge workers. That's the best way for Canada to compete on the international stage and the NCE program has won accolades internationally for its success in doing just that."

When MITACS was formed, many believed the network should partner mostly with high technology companies, what Dr. Gupta describes as the "low hanging fruit". Within a short time, however, it became evident that mathematical models developed for one sector can be adapted for several other sectors. Airline pricing models, for example, have helped to price packets of data on the Internet, and mathematical models used to track a ship in distress can be adapted to track pollution.

"There's huge potential to apply mathematics across every human activity," says Dr. Gupta. "If you're designing a drug, you want to have a mathematical model of the body's organs and how they respond to different chemical markers. If you're designing roads, you want a mathematical model of traffic flow. Mathematics has even been used to understand the feeding behaviour of pigs."

While the rise of mathematics as an industrial enabler has been transformative, most opportunities remain untapped. Too many companies still view mathematics as a tool for their engineering and finance departments. To help open their eyes, over 120 MITACS student interns will be placed with partner companies and other organizations this year to work on different projects.

Dr. Gupta says his dream is to see companies, government departments, hospitals, research labs and others using this type of sophisticated research "because we want all our companies and institutions to be world leaders."