This review of the Radio Science Branch is being undertaken in order to assist CRC management in determining the extent to which the programs and activities of the Branch are appropriate and effective in meeting government needs for expertise in radio science. In addition, the review identifies opportunities to improve the performance of the Branch and its effectiveness.

CRC has had a research program linked to radio science for over 20 years. Since that time, radio science research has continued under various organizational structures. In 1998, the Advanced Antenna Research Group joined the Branch.

The Radio Science Branch has expenditures of about $3.3 million annually. These consist of salaries for 37 person years of effort provided by about 32 permanent and 5 revenue-based and temporary staff, and $1 million for operational and minor capital expenditures. Revenues and special funds provide about $400,000 or 12% of Branch expenditures.

The review addressed two major issues related to relevance and quality, and examined a number of questions which addressed specific aspects of each issue. Detailed analysis and discussions on the various questions can be found in the main body of this report.

It is clear that, overall, the Branch is appropriately and effectively positioned to fulfill the role of a government research laboratory in the field of radio science. However there is some concern that the Branch is not effectively responding to the needs of some of its public sector clients and stakeholders. Based on the responses of clients and knowledgeable stakeholders interviewed, the Branch is providing valuable and important services to clients, through the generation of results of a technical or strategic nature difficult or impossible to achieve without the contribution of the Branch. Clients rate the quality of research, services and equipment highly. However, there is concern that loss of qualified staff has left the Branch less able to meet client needs.

An overview of the evidence and conclusions for each issue, followed by recommendations for change is provided below.

Issue 1: To what extent are the programs and activities carried out within the Radio Science Branch relevant and effective in terms of the appropriate role for government laboratories?

Based on a review of recent literature and the 1996 federal review of government S&T entitled “Science and Technology for the New Century”, it is clear that the Canadian government expects its scientific laboratories to fulfill a dual role in support of both public interest and economic growth and wealth creation. This is reflected in the CRC mission statement. These two roles can be complementary, particularly in the case of standards and regulations. In the case of radio science, the social and cultural well being of the public needs to be supported through an efficient, effective, and accessible Canadian wireless communications system based on internationally accepted standards, and the private communications systems developers need appropriate scientific knowledge and technical assistance which help them develop and provide quality communications systems. Policy studies support the role of government S&T as providing technical support to the development of national regulations and guidelines compatible with international systems. This is as true of radio communications as of other areas of commerce. The Branch is well positioned to fulfill this role for the Canadian public and private sector radio communications.

The need for Branch capabilities in radio science is once again being recognized. As the lower frequencies are being fully utilized, new higher frequencies are being required, and the characteristics of radiowave propagation at these higher frequencies need to be studied. The Canadian wireless communications industry has lost much of its technical capability through downsizing and, in many cases, the Radio Science Branch is the principal source of high level expertise and knowledge about radiowave propagation and high frequency systems in the country.

A review of Branch programs and projects, analysis of clients and collaborators, and feedback from the client survey, staff and expert interviews show that the Branch has the expertise and capability to fulfill these complementary roles, supporting both public and private interests within the Canadian and international broadcast community. However, although there are some exceptions, by and large, the Branch has not been proactive in working with others to apply its knowledge to practical problems. In addition to its expertise and research capabilities, clients and partners of the Branch would like it to provide other types of services, such as the provision of information, advice, and strategic intelligence. Some of those interviewed would like the Branch to make a greater effort to make them aware of technical developments and other emerging issues on a regular basis.

Another need in the wireless communications community is for highly qualified personnel with experience in higher frequency communications systems. A number of the skilled staff of the Branch have been hired away to fill these needs in other organizations. The Branch works with the university community to support the training of graduate students, which also provides additional resources for Branch research and development projects. Some of these students are hired by CRC following completion of their studies.

Relevance – Recommendations

The first two specific recommendations that follow identify specific aspects of a more proactive approach by the Branch to identify and meet the needs of clients and stakeholders.

Develop Long Term Relationships with Key Stakeholders

The Radio Science Branch should meet with major clients and stakeholders to develop strategic long-term plans that identify the most effective means of working together and supporting their needs. This applies in particular to Spectrum Engineering and other CRC Branches who can benefit greatly from the knowledge and expertise in the Radio Science Branch. The partners need to identify how the research capabilities of the Radio Science Branch can best be put to use to meet the needs of these stakeholders. The challenge is to match the capabilities of the Radio Science Branch to perform longer-term research with the shorter term applied nature of the partners and stakeholder needs.

Communications, Networking and Awareness Building

The Branch should move to address the expressed desire in the wireless communications community for improved access to strategic knowledge of technical developments and emerging issues. Communicating with the broader stakeholder community about Branch initiatives and perspective on emerging issues should become a higher priority, and the Branch should develop mechanisms to accomplish this objective. The review of the Broadcast Technologies Branch identified a number of possible mechanisms that seem appropriate for the Radio Science Branch as well. They include regular workshops possibly aligned to the specific needs of various stakeholder groups; a periodic newsletter with information about Branch projects, strategic intelligence from international meetings; and a web page with basic information about the Branch priorities, as well as similar information as in the newsletter described above.

The Branch should also try to identify an association or group associated with the Canadian wireless communications community which could serve as a partner to disseminate strategic information from the Branch about emerging technical and regulatory issues.

It is likely that a combination of approaches will be more effective than a single one.

Maintain Multiple Complementary Roles

It is clear that the Radio Science Branch is uniquely positioned to meet needs of both the public and private sectors within the Canadian wireless communications community and that insight into the needs of one group contributes to the Branch’s ability to meet the needs of the other. The Radio Science Branch should continue to maintain a balance among its various roles, developing new knowledge and expertise and providing advice and services to meet both public and private sector needs in a complementary manner. The provision of high quality technical support for Canadian wireless communications policies, standards and regulations in the public interest also helps provide the private sector with an efficient and effective regulatory infrastructure within which to work.

Issue 2: To what extent does the quality of research, advice and services provided by the Radio Science Branch meet the needs of clients and collaborators?

The issue of the appropriateness of the quality of research and services was reviewed through a number of complementary methods. Based on the client survey results and in-depth interviews, the large majority of clients and collaborators are generally highly satisfied with the quality of research and technical services provided by the Branch, and have confidence in the results obtained. Clients and informed stakeholders also agree that existing services are highly relevant to the needs of the wireless communications community. When clients were asked to rate their satisfaction with the Branch's contribution to a specific project, the average rating was 8.2 out of 10. This is a high rating, indicating a positive relationship between the Branch and the clients surveyed. However, some interviewees from Spectrum Engineering and other CRC Branches were concerned about a mismatch between the Branch’s focus on longer term research, and their needs for support for shorter term applied and developmental projects. In the past, this has at times led to the Branch’s unwillingness to meet their requests for assistance.

A number of clients thought that the quality of research, and breadth and depth of scientific and technical capability is now lower than it has been due to the large number of vacancies, now approaching 25% and inability to retain qualified professional staff. Many noted that there has been a significant loss in the past several years of highly qualified staff, leading to a loss of important research and testing capabilities in the Branch.

For those interviewees who had worked with other communications laboratories, the Branch also compared reasonably favourably. In some cases, these other organizations were large national laboratories much better funded than the Branch, so in that respect clients noted that the comparison may not be fair. Clients rated the quality of Branch equipment and facilities, quality of personnel, and overall responsiveness to client needs slightly better than these comparable organizations.

Quality – Recommendations

Hiring and Retention of Qualified Staff

The Radio Science Branch should treat the hiring and retention of qualified professional staff as a priority. Hopefully, as the overheated technology sector of the economy returns to a more normal level, potential employees will consider working in the Branch more seriously. As a short term measure, other avenues should be explored, such as working with university professors on sabbatical, secondments from other organizations, and increased use of graduate and post-graduate students.

The Broadcast Technologies Branch has had good success over the past year in finding qualified staff to fill a number of vacancies, and it may be useful for the Radio Science Branch to consult with them to determine their approach.

Focus More on Application of Knowledge for Benefit of Clients

The stated mission of the Radio Science Branch is to develop new knowledge in radio science and to help apply that new knowledge. Evidence suggests that, in the past, the Branch has focused more on the former and less on the latter. In the future the Branch should review its overall strategy, with a view to moving the mix more towards assisting others in utilizing and applying the knowledge of the Branch. As a government research group providing scientific and technical support to public and private sector clients, the focus needs to be on balancing the complementary objectives of developing knowledge in priority areas to meet the emerging needs of key clients and sectors.

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Review of the Radio Science Branch of the Communications Research Centre Canada

Executive Summary