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...Manitoba – medical devicesmanufacturing clusterNRC is expanding its R&D program in medicaldevices and software, and building a new R&Dprogram to support opportunities for the manufacturingof medical devices in Winnipeg. As part of38this effort, NRC-IBD will strengthen its R&Dprograms in medical imaging techniques and inmanufacturing – design, precision and virtualmanufacturing centred on materials, imaging,processes and related technologies. All activitieswill be connected via the high-bandwidth Ca3.net,locally, regionally and nationally. The goal is tocreate a national research network for distributedprocessing.NRC-IBD will also open a new IPF to promote thedevelopment of medical diagnostic technologiesmanufacturing. The new facility will house spin-offsfrom NRC and other companies with related manufacturingtechnologies, providing them with accessto business support services, commercializationsupport and linkages to NRC’s R&D, knowledgedissemination and industrial research assistancestrengths. The IPF will also house an industrialworkshop that will support the manufacture oflarge, high-tech products, such as magnetic resonanceimaging devices. The entire clustering effortwill be defined, coordinated and integrated withkey players in the community including Manitobahospitals, universities, local industry and businesspartners, and federal, provincial and localeconomic development organizations.Saskatchewan – crops for enhancedhuman healthNRC began work on a new research program –Crops for Enhanced Human Health – at NRC-PBI inSaskatoon. The world market for these types ofcrops is expanding rapidly – projected growth is onthe order of 10 -15 percent annually. The potentialmarket for Canadian firms is estimated to be worth$1.5 billion within three years. The initiative willalso enable greater participation by rural communitiesin valued-added activities.The program focuses on high-quality crops toproduce functional foods with enhanced humanhealth properties and naturally derived plantcompounds, increasingly called “nutraceuticals.”NRC will support the accelerated growth of acompetitive, Prairies-based nutraceuticals/functionalfood industry based on its research,technology development and transfer, and industrialresearch assistance strengths in the region. Anational “nutraceuticals” technology roadmapexercise, launched in December 2001, will helpidentify promising key technologies and lead to anational-scale action plan for this new field. Inaddition, this new initiative responds to the prioritiesof the Canada-Saskatchewan AgriFoodInnovation Fund. Plants will also be modified toproduce therapeutics and other health products, aprocess called molecular farming.The new program and the related development of anew IPF at NRC-PBI are natural fits given NRC’sexceptional track record in nurturing the developmentof the agro-biotechnology cluster inSaskatoon. A number of government, private sectorand university players are already actively movingthis cluster initiative forward, including WesternEconomic Diversification Canada, the Universitiesof Calgary, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, federaland provincial government agriculture ministries,provincial research organizations, agro-manufacturing/processingcompanies, and the SaskatchewanNutraceutical Network – to name a few.