NRC Annual Report 2001-2002

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...The growing international wave of innovationdriven at the local level is based on public andprivate sector teamwork, partnerships andnetworks. Canada, given its vast geography, relativelysmall and dispersed population, andpredominance of SMEs, has increasingly taken acollaborative approach to building communityinnovation over the past decade.NRC is a nationally accessible, community-basedS&T resource for Canadian business. With itsworld-class R&D, its renowned Industrial ResearchAssistance Program to provide technology adviceand support to SMEs, and its Canada Institute forScientific and Technical Information as a nationalinformation resource, NRC has long played aleading, dynamic role in many Canadian communities.NRC works with communities across thenation to increase their capacity in key technologyfields through jointly developed innovation strategiesthat support the sustained growth oftechnology clusters.Building technology clusters:the key components34NRC – community innovationinitiatives across CanadaIn 2001-2002, NRC continued to develop andexpand its local community cluster initiatives inpartnership with stakeholders across Canada andfocused on achieving four strategic goals:• Creating a globally competitive research and technologybase for cluster development at thecommunity level• Supporting community leadership, championsand knowledge-based strategies• Working with stakeholders to leverage funding andnew investment in community clusters• Stimulating the emergence of new firms, jobs,exports and investment growth.Newfoundland – ocean andmarine technologiesTo support the new ocean and marine technologiescluster in St. John’s, NRC began expansion of itscore R&D programs to respond to the community’sfuture requirements, as identified at the communityRound Table led by NRC and industry in early 2001.NRC completed plans to construct a dedicatedindustry partnership facility in 2002 to supportyoung entrepreneurs, start-ups and spin-offs. Italso increased NRC-IRAP, CTN and CISTI forces inSt. John’s to engage and support local SMEs.In partnership with Industry Canada and a numberof public and private sector partners, NRC is leadingthe Marine and Ocean Technologies Roadmap initiativeto identify the future market opportunities andtechnology requirements of Canada’s marine, shipbuildingand energy sectors. The roadmap deliverson one of the government’s commitmentsannounced in A New Policy Framework for theCanadian Shipbuilding and Industrial MarineIndustry: Focusing on Opportunities 2001.