Kristi McBride, INA and Patricia Loder, ITA

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Navigate the World of Innovation with NRC-IRAP

• Kristi McBride, INA and Patricia Loder, ITA
• NRC-IRAP Atlantic and NunavutMay 4th, 2004,
  Nunavut Trade Show

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Presentation Outline

1. National Research Council Canada (NRC)
2. NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program
   (NRC-IRAP)
3. Building a Northern Innovation Network
4. Extend Canadas Innovation System Internationally

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1. National Research Council Canada
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National Research Council of Canada

• National organization, Canadian Federal
  Government agency
• Over 3600 full time staff and 450M budget
  allocation
• Dissemination of ST information to industry and
  scientific community
• Provides essential elements of national ST
  infrastructure
• Cross-country network providing access to a wide
  range of technology and business assistance to
  SMEs

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NRC - Labs and Facilities across Canada

• Biotechnology Group
• Biotechnology Research Institute (Montreal, QC)
• Institute for Biological Sciences (Ottawa, ON)
• Institute for Marine Biosciences (Halifax, NS)
• Institute for Biodiagnostics (Winnipeg, MB)
• Plant Biotechnology Institute (Saskatoon, SK)
• Manufacturing Technologies Group
• Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental
  Technology (Ottawa, ON)
• Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Institute
  (London, ON)
• Industrial Materials Institute (Boucherville, QC)
• Innovation Centre (Vancouver, BC)

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NRC - Labs and Facilities across Canada

• Institute for Aerospace Research (Ottawa, ON)
• Institute for Research in Construction (Ottawa,
  ON) EKONorth
• Institute for Ocean Technology (St. Johns, NL)
• Institute for National Measurement Standards
  (Ottawa, ON)
• Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences (Ottawa,
  ON)
• Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (Victoria and
  Penticton, BC)
• Technology Centres
• Centre for Surface Transportation Technology
  (Ottawa, ON)
• Thermal Technology Centre (Ottawa, ON)
• Canadian Hydraulics Centre (Ottawa, ON)
• Information and Communication Technologies Group
• Institute for Information Technology (Ottawa, ON)
• Institute for Microstructural Sciences (Ottawa,
  ON)

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2. National Research Council Canada Industrial
Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)
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SMEs are Canadas Engine of Economic Growth

• Canadas 1.9 million Small and Medium-Sized
• Enterprises (SMEs)
• Account for 99 of all Canadian businesses
• Employ six out of ten working Canadians
• Created 575,000 new jobs between 1996 and 2000
• Comprise many of our most successful
  technology-based firms

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Innovation the Challenges for SMEs

• SMEs face increased globalization
• SMEs need access to increasingly sophisticated
  innovation tools and tactics
• Most SMEs cannot meet these complex innovation
  needs on their own
• For help with innovation, thousands of SMEs
  across Canada turn to the National Research
  Councils Industrial Research Assistance Program
  (IRAP)

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What is NRC-IRAP?

• Canada's premier innovation assistance program
  for small and medium-sized Canadian enterprises
  (SMEs)
• a vital component of the NRC and a cornerstone in
  Canada's innovation system
• regarded world-wide as one of the best programs
  of its kind.
• NRC-IRAP provides Canadian SMEs with value-added
  technological and business advice, financial
  assistance and a range of other innovation
  assistance.

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What is NRC-IRAP?

• NRCs Industrial Research Assistance Program
• Includes 262 Industrial Technology Advisors
  (ITAs) and 10 Innovation and Network Advisors
  (INAs) located in over 100 communities across
  Canada
• Networked across Canada
• IRAP provides technical advice, referrals,
  linkages and financial assistance to SMEs
• Helps SME access international technologies via
  linkages, visits and missions

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2. Building a Northern Innovation Network
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NRC-IRAP Network Members

• Nunavut Research Institute
• Identifying opportunities in Nunavut innovative
  SMEs, Network Members

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• Objective further the concerns of small and
  medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Labrador, the
  Canadian North and throughout the circumpolar
  world.

• Identify Northern Partners / Opportunities
• Bridge Cultural Gaps, particularly
  internationally
• Ensure SME business readiness
• Promote International Linkages
• Develop Circumpolar Chamber of Commerce

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3. National Research Council Canada Industrial
Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)Extend
Canadas Innovation System Internationally
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IRAP Strategic Plan 2003-2008
Nurture Community Based Innovation
Extend Canadas Innovation System Internationally
Value for
Strengthen SME Innovation Capacity
Create a National Competitive Intelligence Capacit
y
Translate Publicly Funded RD Into Innovation
Canadian SME's
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• NRC-IRAP will offer SME's better access to
  offshore experience, helping unlock the enormous
  store of the worlds knowledge and technology
  that resides outside of Canada.
• - IRAP 2003-2008 Strategic Plan

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Extend Canadas Innovation System Internationally

• SMEs face innovation pressures from
  globalization, high pace of ST, sustainable
  development
• Limited access to foreign technology, competitive
  intelligence, international alliances
• Only 4 of the worlds technology originates in
  Canada
• 96 of technologies from international sources

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Extend Canadas Innovation System Internationally

• NRC-IRAP can help firms identify and access
  international opportunities in technology and
  innovation

• increase Canadian SME awareness of new
  technologies, markets, potential collaborators
  and competitors to develop strategies to
  capitalize on specific foreign innovation systems
• support technology-based SME's who indicate a
  willingness to acquire and adapt leading edge
  technology

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Extend Canadas Innovation System Internationally

• Build circumpolar networks and relationships
• Help firms commercialize science and technology /
  Acquisitions of new technical capability
• Lead International Technology Transfer Missions

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Extend Canadas Innovation System Internationally

• International Technology Transfer through
  Technology Inflow Program
• designed to assist Canadian SMEs access Canadian
  or foreign technology and help develop RD
  partnerships.
• Providing modest financial support for certain
  eligible activities related to the partnering or
  acquisition of foreign technology.

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• Example Circumpolar Agricultural Association
  (CAA)

• Focus on Agriculture in Northern Regions /
  ecological sustainable resource management /
  exchange of information
• Build linkages, identify opportunities for
  collaboration

• Akureyri, Iceland 2001
• Umëa, Sweden 2004 (September 27-29, 2004)

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• Example Baffin Fisheries Coalition

• domestic TIPs
• proposed International TIPs to Greenland and
  Norway

Photo courtesy of Wayne Lynch, Government of
Nunavut Department of Sustainable Development
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Nd6u4 THANK YOU MERCI
Kristi McBride, INA and Patricia Loder,
ITA NRC-IRAP Atlantic and NunavutMay 4th, 2004,
Nunavut Trade Show
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