The Networks of Centres of Excellence Program

An overview

The NCE program has built a reputation both within Canada and across the globe for generating research that works. But how does this research work? How does it come together? What does it do?

Every year, the NCE program connects researchers from a variety of disciplines to work in a mutually beneficial, multidisciplinary way. The networks connect these researchers with industry to turn the power of effective research into products and processes that not only improve the Canadian economy, they improve peoples' lives.

The following examples show how the NCE program enables research that works – the positive practices that allow the networks to run efficiently and effectively, and the results generated. In 2007-2008:

• The NCE program leveraged partnership investments of $57 million, including $18 million in private sector contributions. When the NCE program's own funding is included, almost $137 million was used to stimulate research, training, knowledge translation and commercialization.
  
  
• Overall, 697 companies, 432 provincial and federal government departments and agencies, 100 hospitals, 694 universities, and 650 organizations from Canada and around the world partnered in NCE activities.
  
  
• More than 6,400 researchers and HQP took part in NCE projects.
  
  
• NCE scientists filed 87 patents and published 3950 papers in refereed scientific journals.
  
  
• In total, 30 licenses were granted or were under negotiation.
  
  
• Three spin-off companies were born from NCE program research efforts.

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NETWORK LIFECYCLES 2007-08

Networks		NCE Awards	Funding Period	Network Researchers *	HOP **	Univer-sities ***	Indus-tries ***	Government depart- ments/ agencies and others***	Total Organiza-tions
	AFMNet	$ 5,559,000	2003-2008	19	44	41	33	41	115
	AllerGen	$ 6,092,000	2004-2009	116	181	41	40	147	228
	ArcticNet	$ 6,776,000	2003-2008	36	307	58	14	133	205
	AUTO21	$ 5,800,000	2000-2008	267	437	51	67	61	179
	CAN	$ 4,673,001	1998-2009	51	885	60	103	114	277
	CDRN	$ 200,000	2005-2007	0	0	3	2	4	9
	CIPI	$ 4,243,000	1999-2009	115	201	25	49	20	94
	CLLRNet	$ 3,550,000	2001-2009	92	58	41	15	43	99
	CON	$ 400,000	2005-2007	0	0	19	14	41	74
	CSN	$ 6,400,000	1999-2010	72	163	24	30	67	121
	CWN	$ 5,155,510	2000-2008	23	141	40	20	44	104
	EDGE	$ 200,000	2005-2007	0	0	6	6	10	22
	GEOIDE	$ 3,520,000	1998-2009	185	437	70	48	86	204
	ISIS	$ 3,200,000	1995-2009	89	184	15	39	17	71
	MITACS	$ 5,856,000	1998-2009	198	1024	66	130	117	313
	NICE	$ 472,488	2005-2008	0	0	20	1	20	41
	PREVNet	$ 400,000	2005-2007	0	0	26	7	46	79
	PrioNet	$ 5,362,000	2005-2009	72	92	24	11	33	68
	SCN	$ 7,541,001	2000-2008	75	434	38	35	74	147
	SFM	$ 4,100,000	1995-2009	184	310	32	29	62	123
	Totals	$ 79.5 M		1594	4898	700	693	1180	2573

 

* Network researchers includes Canadians and foreigners
** HQP: refers to Highly Qualified Personnel including research staff (research associates and technicians) and research trainees (postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students)
*** Includes Canadian and foreign organizations
*** Organizations are counted for each appearance, ie. If an organization participates in multiple networks, they will be counted more than once

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Young innovators

Each year at its Annual General Meeting, the NCE program honours outstanding young science entrepreneurs who have turned knowledge into innovation and commercial success. In December of 2007, the honorees were:

• Dr. Jean-Philippe Côté, Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS), for developing highly sophisticated mathematical models to help the airline and rail industries optimize revenue by maximizing inventory to meet customer demand;
  
  
• Dr. James Ford, ArcticNet, for finding ways to more accurately predict climate vulnerability in Nunavut and the Arctic; and
  
  
• Dr. Michel Poulin, Canadian Institute for Photonics Innovation (CIPI), for developing a critical laser component for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) project, currently under construction in Chile, that will be a breakthrough on the scale of the Hubble telescope.

Want to know more about the NCE program?

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NETWORKS OF CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

SOURCE	CASH	In-kind	Total
NCE	$79,500,000	$–	$79,500,000
PARTNERS
University	$2,613,606	$4,217,144	$6,830,750
Industry	$10,975,287	$7,657,316	$18,632,603
Federal	$4,977,408	$5,389,727	$10,367,135
Provincial	$6,000,457	$850,011	$6,850,468
Other	$8,424,435	$6,343,351	$14,767,786
Partners' Total	$32,991,194	$24,457,549	$57,448,743
Grand Total	$112,491,194	$24,457,549	$136,948,743

Sources: NCE Database:
Cash – Org. Statement Table
In-Kind – Org. In-Kind Support Contribution Table.