A Unique 3-Way Partnership The College and Community Innovation - Pilot Program Janet Walden, Vice-President, NSERC Terry Anne Boyles, Vice-President, ACCC Jeff Brownlee, Director of Communications, CME

What is NSERC? The national instrument for making strategic investments in Canada’s capability in science and technology Canada’s largest university research funding body Invests over $700M p.a. in academic research Funding based upon excellence and peer review NSERC has impact it is the largest single funder of university research in the natural sciences and engineering funding 16% of the $2.9B in R&D carried out by Canadian universities in 2001.

Science and Engineering Research Canada discovery innovation people Prosperity and high quality of life for Canadians Vision and Mission Science and Engineering Research Canada We invest in: discovery innovation EXCELLENCE Competitive research in science and engineering, providing access to new knowledge from around the world Productive use of new knowledge in all sectors of the economy and society people Highly skilled, well educated and capable of lifelong learning NSERC: invests in people, discovery, and innovation to build a strong Canadian economy and to improve the quality of life of all Canadians. supports research in universities and colleges, research training of scientists and engineers, and research-based innovation. has influence -- three main thrusts of NSERC: Discovery Grants (Discovery): research grants to more than 9,600 university professors, and growing (101 new this year) average grant of $30,000 per year Training (People): 15,600 students supported through individual scholarships and fellowships and by professors from research grants and projects, and growing because of the new Canada Graduate Scholarships program (NSERC’s share is 30% of the 2000 Master’s and 2000 doctoral students (or 600 new of each). CGS is $270M over four years. Research Partnerships (Innovation): 817 partners (687companies) partner in 689 research projects. Company contributions average $1.84 for each $1 from NSERC. This is where we encourage industry to invest and what I will focus on. Our goal is Canadian excellence in: WORKING IN ALL AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and some university faculty USING NEW KNOWLEDGE Partnerships of universities with industry and other sectors for project research CREATING KNOWLEDGE Research Grants for basic research in the universities We do this through peer-reviewed competitions in three programs NSERC also works towards its goals by exerting INFLUENCE beyond our program reach

NSERC Vision: The new actions People: help to improve science and math education (pilot) Discovery: develop and validate a national framework for “Big Science” and support regional capacity building in research (pilot) Innovation: support community colleges, build innovation at the community level (pilot) A central aspect to the new NSERC vision includes: reaching out across the country to meet important needs in research, in innovation and in the education of highly qualified personnel that have been brought to our attention. These needs are different in different parts of Canada. To do a good job in meeting them, we will develop a local presence in the regions of Canada - We will open five regional offices across the country to strengthen our interactions with the community we have already announced our Prairie location, Winnipeg, and that we are searching for a location in the Atlantic We expect to launch the first offices in 2004. The second element in NSERC’s vision relates to improving the quality of science and math education in Canadian schools. We are looking at ways to partner with others who share our concern that our youth require strong science literacy and numeracy skills in the modern economy. Together with partners, we believe that we can help in developing and improving the skills of science and math teachers and the resources available to them. Canada has no policy or consistent process for making decisions on “Big Science” projects, but such a policy and process are badly needed in light of the large number of competing worthy proposals As a third element in our strategy, NSERC is working with the NRC to develop a framework for assessing and ranking “Big Science” proposals that include networks and field research, as well as the more traditional stationary facilities. The fourth element in the NSERC strategy relates to the need for regional capacity building. Through numerous visits to universities in Atlantic Canada and the Prairies, NSERC has been made aware of the particular needs of regional and smaller institutions across the country We will develop a program, starting with a pilot, to remove institutional barriers to research productivity and assist these researchers in becoming more competitive in our regular programs. The final element of our new vision is about extending our reach to communities through the support of innovation in community colleges. Community colleges are a valuable knowledge resource in hundreds of communities across Canada. Working with the colleges, we are designing a pilot program to enable the colleges to play a bigger role in supporting innovation at the community level. The initiatives at the program and organizational level that I have briefly described are examples of how NSERC is evolving in this era of change.

NSERC Vision: The new actions To be effective in doing these new things... develop a regional presence across Canada strive for public recognition by doing business under a new label Why “Pilot”? need to prove the approach AND no new $ yet

Research Partnerships Program’s Goal... Universities (Colleges as co-applicants) Colleges and Universities NSERC NSERC Government Industry Government Industry People and ideas People and ideas Build on NSERC’s primary role in support of excellent research and training Maximize the benefits to Canada and Canadians of results of university-based research Link university researchers with the public and private sectors through collaborative research projects Expose students to challenges and opportunities in industry & government (encourage retention) Promote innovation through flexible and responsive programming (one size does not fit all) and special initiatives Budget: $129.41M in 2003-04 (~20% of the NSERC budget) Historically Today To stimulate and build research relationships with potential economic and / or social benefits for Canada

NSERC Partnerships  a flexible continuum CCIP IPM I2I (2) I2I (1) CRDs Innovation Projects Strategic Projects Research Networks Collaborative R&D Grants Research Partnership Agreements Building Critical Mass Chairs Technology Transfer Idea to Innovation Intellectual Property Management & Networked Training College & Community Innovation Pilot RPAs RNs Chairs IRCs Research  Development Innovation Projects Strategic Projects (early stage research in targeted areas) Research Networks (research clusters) Collaborative R&D Grants (joint university-industry projects) Research Partnership Agreements (link universities, industry and government labs) Building Critical Mass Chairs (flexible people support in areas of relevance to industry) Technology Transfer Idea to Innovation (pre-commercial concept/technology development) Intellectual Property Management & Networked Training (infrastructure & training for tech transfer) College & Community Innovation Pilot (innovation at the community level) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a number of opportunities at NSERC. SPP Industry Participation 

NSERC and The Colleges Innovation Strategy need to increase R&D performance & training across all sectors 2002 NSERC Management visit colleges across Canada -- finding: Not research as NSERC knows it, BUT… a vibrant range of innovation activity contributing significantly to local & regional economic development ACCC and NSERC initiate college pilot program Key Findings: the advanced education of students; addressing the technical needs and opportunities of local and regional industry; and building extremely productive links to university and government research

NSERC and ACCC ACCC facilitated NSERC college visits ACCC Task Group on Applied Research and the Innovation Agenda (2002-03) ACCC survey on R&D activity in colleges ACCC & NSERC form Advisory Committee to help develop the College and Community Innovation Pilot Program ACCC encourages colleges to apply for eligibility to administer NSERC grants

A unique 3-way partnership ACCC College needs, opportunities and linkages NSERC Peer review, excellence and funding Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Program promotion Commitment to work with colleges

College and Community Innovation Pilot Program Objective: To increase the capacity of colleges to support innovation at the community and/or regional level Pilot: To prove the feasibility of the approach using existing NSERC funds

Anticipated Impacts Colleges working with local businesses and industries Students trained in innovation activities Local companies adopting new technologies, launch new and improved products and processes

College Eligibility Requirements College faculty engage in innovation activities related to the natural sciences and engineering Institutions provide facilities and absorb the indirect costs of research Institutions understand their role and responsibilities in managing federal grants Institutions have appropriate policies in place research ethics and integrity

Funding Available $3.6M over three years Up to six awards of $100,000/year for three years for activities supporting innovation in an area where the college has recognized expertise that meets community needs Opportunity to leverage funding from partners in year two (up to an additional $100,000 from NSERC) and year three (up to an additional $200,000 from NSERC) Emphasis on bullet number 3 that funds may be matched by partners!!

Request for Proposals Deadline: May 28 Peer Review Committee: July – August Results announced: by August 30 Funding starts: by end of September

Proposals Be concise Must describe: proposed activities and how they relate to college’s strategic plan involvement of local companies impact on local community incentive-driven budget requirements performance measures (tailored)

Activities Supported Flexible guidelines accommodate a variety of activities and needs Examples: Teaching release time for faculty Supporting student involvement Outreach to companies in the community Prototype development & technology evaluation

Selection Criteria Potential to contribute to local and/or regional innovation Quality of the proposal Demonstrated need for resources Pilot a learning experience, therefore…will support excellence and reflect the diversity of the college community

More Information NSERC Web site www.nserc.ca for complete description application instructions Contact NSERC Anne Alper Tel. (613) 996-6521 E-mail: anne.alper@nserc.ca

Thank you