Starting a Network: Reflections of a Networks of Centres of Excellence Managing Director

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Starting a Network Reflections of a Networks
of Centres of Excellence Managing Director
 Lessons Learned  in the
Frying Pan and the FireDiana Royce,
EdDPrincipalThe Deerfield GroupPalliative and
End of Life Care Research Networking
Infrastructure Workshop, February 21, 2003,
Toronto, ON
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Overview

• NCE Program
• HEALNet
• Learnings

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Networks of Centres of ExcellenceMission
Statement (1989)

• To mobilize Canadas research talent in the
  academic, private and public sectors and apply it
  to the task of developing the economy and
  improving the quality of life of Canadians

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The NCE Program

• Permanent program of the Government of Canada
  supporting research in universities and hospitals
  in partnership with private and public sectors
• Fosters synergies between creators, users and
  receptors of knowledge
• Addresses complex areas of critical importance to
  Canada (integrated projects)
• Multidisciplinary research from basic to applied
  in a variety of disciplines

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NCEs in Context
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Why Canada built Networks
Vast country
Dispersed institutions
Link strengths
Create critical mass
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NCEs Primary Contributions to Innovation

• New Knowledge
• Stimulate the Production of Advanced World Class
  Research
• Training
• Train and Retain World Class Highly Qualified
  People
• Partnering for Knowledge Transfer
• Encourage the Transfer and Diffusion of
  Technology and Knowledge to Industry and Society
  to stimulate innovation

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Innovation

• The process through which new economic and social
  benefits are extracted from knowledge.
• OECD definition used in
• Canadas Innovation Agenda (2002)

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Interaction between Research and Innovation

• Research is a process of
• turning into ideas,
• and innovation is a process of turning ideas into
  
• (i.e. goods and services)

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NCE Scale of Activity

• 20 NCEs
• 5,900 People
• 1,400 professors and researchers in University
• 300 industry and partner researchers
• 4,200 research associates and students
• 900 Canadian organizations
• 90 universities and hospitals
• 130 government agencies (federal/provincial)
• 700 industry and other partners

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International Collaborations

• NCEs collaborate with researchers around the
  world
• USA, Europe, Asia
• and with diverse organizations
• 43 universities,
• 7 hospitals,
• 7 gov. agencies
• 88 companies,
• 63 other organizations

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Current Fields of Research (1)

• Health, Human Development and Biotechnology
• Arthritis CAN
• Vaccines CANVAC
• Bacterial diseases CBDN
• Genetic diseases CGDN
• Cardiovascular strokes CSN
• Proteins PENCE
• StemCell STEMNET
• Early Child and Society CLLRNet

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Current Fields of Research (2)

• Information and Communication Technology
• Microelectronics Micronet
• Telecommunications CITR
• Photonics CIPI
• Geomatics GEOIDE
• Intelligent Systems Robotics IRIS
• ICT related
• Mathematics MITACS

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Current Fields of Research (3)

• Natural Resources / Environment
• Aquaculture Aquanet
• Mechanical Wood Pulps MWP
• Sustainable Forests SFM
• Clean Water CWN
• Engineering and Manufacturing
• New materials and smart structures ISIS
• Automobile of the 21st Century Auto21

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NCEs are Virtual Institutes

• Governed by a Board
• Directed by Scientific Director
• Supported by Administrative Centre

• Two primary agreements
• Funding Agreement
• Network Agreement
• Guidelines
• Environmental Assessment of Projects
• Ethics and Conflict of Interest Rules
• Accountability
• Mid-term reviews
• Annual Financial Audit of Administrative Centre
• Annual Audit of Compliance with NCE
  Administrative and Financial Policies

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A typical NCE

• Lead by Scientific Director / Research
  Management Committee
• 15-25 Projects in 4-6 Themes
• 50-60 Professors in 12-20 Universities
• 100-150 HQP (Assoc., Students, PostDoc)
• 20-50 Companies
• CDN 3-6 Million from NCE per year
• Doubled with Partners Cash and In-Kind
• Quadrupled with individual research grants

Birth of NCEs 1989 8 /14 1995 4 1998 3 1999
3 2000 4 2003 2-3
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NCE Management Structure
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Life Cycle of an NCE

• Two stage competition (18 months)
• LOI (Open Competition, 20-40 applications)
• Invited Proposals (4-8 retained), 25K support
• 2-3 funded
• Setup Launch (3-4 months)
• 1st Cycle 7 years with mid-term review
• Can compete for a 2nd cycle
• (max 14 years)

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Preparing for an NCE Next Competition 2005
(web end of March 03)
2003 Competition LOI Jul 12, 2002 Proposals Mar
7, 2003 Launch Oct 1, 2003

• Sept 2003 - call for proposal due (LOI)
• Nov 2003 - invitations issued for full
  submission
• Feb 2004 - site visit
• March/Apr. 2004 - Announce funded NCEs
• April 2005 - NCEs start operations
• Five Criteria for successful proposal
• Excellence of the researchers and program
• Capacity to train highly qualified professionals
• Strength of the networking and partnerships
• Capacity for knowledge exchange and technology
  transfer
• Quality of the management

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Be Prepared to demonstrate that you can

• perform outstanding research
• nurture and develop effective research
  partnerships with the public, private, and
  not-for-profit sectors
• exchange knowledge and exploit technology
• train graduate students who go on to work in
  industry and in other critical sectors and
• run a national research consortium.

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Other Key Questions (based on how the NCE
evaluates itself)

• Does the program support internationally
  competitive research in areas of critical
  importance?
• Does the network result in new educational and
  training approaches in universities and other
  sectors?
• What kind of start-up companies could be created?
• How many patents might be applied for? What
  impact could the network have on socio-economic
  policies, norms, standards, and regulations?
• How many international contracts could be awarded
  as a result of this research?

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Success Factors

• Multisectoral research readiness
• Must include Social Science Research
• Unique niche, focus no one group can achieve
  the mission on their own
• Ongoing interactions with stakeholders
• Researchers, Gov, Industry, other ultimate users
• Broadly-based external financial support (cash
  and in-kind)
• Vigorous leadership, many champions, strategic
  communications, regular opportunities to develop
  new relationships

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Improving Canadian Healthcare Decisions The
Experience of HEALNet 1995-2002
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Vision To provide international
leadership in optimizing evidence-based
decision-making in health through efficient and
effective health research transfer
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HEALNet Research Mission
To conduct research that enables health
information users to optimize the use of the best
evidence in decisions at all levels within the
health system and in the workplace

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HEALNet Funding

• 2.4 million / yr NCE (69of revenue) 16M/7yrs
• gt 1 million / yr cash and in-kind 24M/7yrs
• 62 spent on research 24 networking, education
  and dissemination programs 14 spent on
  administration

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Leadership
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HEALNet Organizational Structure 1998 - 2002
Board Of Directors Dr. Kathryn Hannah, Chair
Executive Committee Dr. Kathryn Hannah, Chair
Scientific Advisory Committee Dr. Jim Cimino,
Chair
Management Committee Dr. Vivek Goel, Scientific
Program Leader and Chair
Budget and FinanceCommittee Ms. Mary Gibson,
Chair
Educational OpportunitiesAdvisory Committee Dr.
Andrew Grant, Chair
User Interface Committee Mr. Ron Kaczorowski,
Chair
Administrative Centre Dr. Diana Royce, Managing
Director
Research Program
1.0 Performance Assessment Module 2.0 Decisions
and Evidence Module 3.0 Information Retrieval
and Synthesis Tools Module 4.0 Strategic
Initiatives
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HEALNet Strategic Partnerships for Research
Uptake (166)

• Decision-makers within and across levels in
  relation to
• health system governance / policy
• health services management
• health care provision
• health care users (consumers/patients)
• workplace health and productivity

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Partnership Structure 2000-2001
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The HEALNet Legacy PEOPLE

• National infrastructure of researchers,
  stakeholders and decision-makers with
  collaborative know-how who are providing
  leadership to the range of health services
  research funding organizations and to future
  research projects
• 5 years ahead of peers

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The HEALNet Legacy PEOPLE cont

• Young health services and EBDM health research
  scholars with
• a transdisciplinary perspective on applied health
  services research and research transfer
• an advanced network of contacts across
  disciplines and sectors
• experience working collaboratively with research
  users and across levels of decision-making

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HEALNet Legacy Organizations

• Regionalization Research Centre Canadian
  Centre for Analysis of Regionalization and Health
• Canadian Knowledge Management and Transfer Centre
  Knowledge Utilization Database - Laval
• E-health Accelerator Centre for Global E-Health
  Innovation
• Canadian School of Health Information
• emerging spin-off Networks - e.g. workplace
  health and safety
• Canadian Research Transfer Network

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Other Network Impacts

• Focused researchers on the study of health
  decision-making
• formerly a unique research niche that is now
  embedded within many health services research
  programs and CIHR institutes
• Fostered range of new research partnerships
  across sectors and across the health system and
  workplace, consistent with national priorities
  that are built on a shared understanding of the
  value of health services research transfer and
  use
• pollinated other organizations with respect to
  collaborative structure and KT mandate

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Learnings
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V I S I O N ?
V I S I O N ?
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Adopt a Transformative Mission, define Strategic
goals, linked to specific deliverables
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Understand your Networks niche, value-added
Health System and Workplace
Influence
Health service
Performance
provision
Citizens,
Decisions
governance,
Worksites
, health
funding of health
institutions, health
Collate and Interpret
providers, consumers
services
System Data e.g. CIHI,
ICES, HSURC
Facilitate Research Transfer
HEAL
Net -
Research on
Health services accountability
e.g. CCOHTA, CHN, CHSRF,
Support of health
the Transfer and Use of
CIHR, CIHI,
Cochrane
research
Evidence
Research Funding
Research Groups
Applied and Basic
Applied and Basic
Evidence
e.g. Change, CHSRF, CIHR,
WCBs
General e.g. Universities, CIAR
Research Infrastructure
Workplace e.g. IWH, IRSST, OHSAH
e.g. CFI, CANARIE, CHIPP
Policy and Management e.g. CHEPA,
CPRN, HSURC, MCPHE, GRIS, ICES
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Begin with the end in mind
catalyze new relationships, research, innovations
and culture change. provide the academic
equivalent of seed money, or venture capital,
taking risks by supporting projects that break
new ground. act as an incubator for teams
of researchers who would not have otherwise
received funding to collaborate with research
users on projects critical to economic and social
innovation.
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Integrated Research Program
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Other Key Factors for Success

• Committed, visionary leadership at multiple
  levels
• Internal and external communication, marketing
  and branding strategies linked to values
• Define the value-propositions for participants
  and partners

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Other Factors for Success, cont

• Experienced administrative leadership to ensure
  coordination, continuity, overall project
  management
• Ensure funding for regular networking and
  face-to-face interactions among researchers
  (competitive advantage)
• Encourage adaptability and responsiveness
  (strategic initiatives)

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Focus on Capacity Building People
form partnerships Partnerships
Enhance Performance Performance achieves
progress Progress benefits people
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Factors for Success, cont

• Build KT Bridges
• with partners
• Invite partners potential future funders to
  participate in the networks research program
  better enables them to use findings (KT)

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Challenges

• Traditional university reward structure, culture
  conflicts with networking culture
  entrepreneurship, KT undervalued
• passive approach to dissemination
• Can disadvantage early career researchers
• Identifying incentives that align with mission,
  vision
• entitlement resource allocation decisions
• time (on the margin) and financial disincentives
  (sharing)
• Conflict between disciplinary approaches and
  people
• Interaction costs are critical, but funding
  sources are scarce
• Partnerships with industry can raise ethical
  issues academic freedom and IP challenges

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Networks require a spirit of adventure

• The whole world is a
• field and life a game of adventure. It is a
  grand thing to be on the gridiron instead of in
  
• the gallery.
• Sir Wilfred T. Grenfell, Inscription in Adrift on
  an Ice-Pan, given as a gift to Charles W.
  Coleman, As a reminder of Dr. Grenfell's story
  told Oct 24, 1913, told in the first person.

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Contacts

• Diana Royce, The Deerfield Group
• dianaroyce_at_sympatico.ca
• Networks of Centres of Excellence Program
• www.nce.gc.ca
• Achieving Excellence www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca