NRC Annual Report 2001-2002

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N R C – F R O M D I S C O V E R Y T O I N N O V A T I O N...NRC and Dow AgroSciences – battlingE.coli on a new frontNRC has signed a two-year agreement with DowAgroSciences Canada aimed at eliminating dangerousE.coli 0157 outbreaks, such as the Walkerton,Ontario tragedy. The research focuses on includingan antibody in cattle feeds, which will lead to theelimination of E.coli 0157 from cattle digestivesystems. The new E.coli research agreement followsa collaboration signed in 2000-2001 with ForagenTechnologies to commercialize a live vaccineinvented by NRC to eliminate E.coli 0157 in cattle.NRC worked successfully with Dow AgroSciencesbefore embarking on a $10 million strategic alliancewith the company for research in canola seedquality, enabling plant biotechnologies, and plantresistance to insects and disease.After hours – lights, camera, actionCreating economic value takes many forms atNRC – truly innovative, imaginative and occasionally,non-scientific forms. Following on the successof filming scenes for the feature film Rare Birds in2001 at NRC-IMD facilities in Newfoundland, thefilm industry returned this year with two moreproductions. The first was The Shipping News, a bigbudget film that brought millions of dollars andhundreds of jobs to the fledgling local filmindustry. The second was the filming of two docudramasabout the sinking of the Ocean Ranger andthe 1997 Around the World Alone Sailing Race.NRC’s world-class facilities were a major factor forproducers in deciding to bring the productions toNewfoundland.26Incubators/co-locationCreating value for Canada also involves helping togrow new science and technology-based firms.Incubation not only accelerates the process ofstarting and growing such firms, but also helpsthem stay in business. According to a 1997 U.S.study on the impact of incubator investments, 87percent of firms that were in incubators remainedin business after the first three critical years.Most of NRC’s research institutes have industrypartnership facilities (IPFs) or other means toincubate new, small, technology-based firms. TheseIPFs act as magnets that attract innovative firms toNRC. By co-locating with NRC, firms gain directaccess to NRC’s specialized facilities, the expertiseof its researchers, extensive national and internationalnetworks, and its technology intelligence andknowledge dissemination resources.In 2001-2002, 71 firms were incubating or colocatedat NRC. New industry partnership facilitiesare being constructed in Fredericton, Boucherville,Saskatoon, Penticton, Vancouver and Victoria, withnew IPFs on the drawing board for Halifax,Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Such facilities will be apart of any new NRC research facility in the future.
One of NRC’s newest industrypartnership facilities (IPFs), underconstruction at the NRC PlantBiotechnology Institute inSaskatoon. The facility, slated toopen in fall 2002, will contributeto an emerging cluster inSaskatoon on crops for enhancedhuman health.A graphic representation of NRC's futureIPF at the NRC Institute for Biodiagnosticsin Winnipeg. Construction is scheduledto begin in spring 2003, for completion inlate 2004. The new facility will promotethe development of medical devicetechnologies manufacturing.Spin-off and start-up firmsNRC spin-off firms 1997-2002Total newcompanies1997-1998 7 211998-1999 10 311999-2000 9 402000-2001 9 492001-2002 3 52Cumulativespin-off firmsV a l u eOften the fastest and most effective way tocommercialize a new technology or product is tocreate a new Canadian company. That venture caneither be a spin-off firm (formed by NRC employees)or a start-up firm (created by non-NRCprincipals using NRC technologies). Since1995-1996, NRC technologies have led to thecreation of 52 new companies in Canada.In 2001-2002, three new companies started upfrom NRC, with nine more in the spin-off pipelineawaiting formal “graduation.” The three newNRC spin-off firms were:• Ionalytics Corporation – Using NRC’s high FieldAsymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry(FAIMS) technology• Capital Laser Inc. – Using NRC’s Laser MicromachiningTechnology• NavSim Technology Inc. – Using NavSim shipmanoeuvring simulation software from NRC.Ionalytics Corporation – FAIMSmoves to marketOn November 22, 2001, NRC announced thecreation of Ionalytics Corporation, a companyspun off from NRC-INMS. Ionalytics has licensedNRC’s FAIMS technology, which was developed incollaboration with MDS-Sciex, a manufacturer ofmass spectrometry equipment based in Toronto.The new firm will design and manufacture FAIMSchemical analysis systems as accessories for themass spectrometers that are used in diversefields. Application areas include biotechnology(proteomics and drug discovery), security (detectionof chemical and biological agents), and themonitoring of environmental wastes. The companyhas already acquired a start-up investment of$2 million from Genesys Capital Partners Inc.of Toronto, a venture capital firm specializingin funding of biotechnology companies.27S C I E N C E A T W O R K F O R C A N A D A
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NRC Annual Report 2001-2002

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