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2008 W.E. Harris Teaching WorkshopUniversity of Alberta
May 25, 2008
Anne Alper Research Partnerships
Programs 613-996-6521
Supporting People, Discovery and Innovation
Overview • NSERC overview
• Federal S&T Strategy, Budgets 2007 and 2008
• How NSERC supports People, Discovery and Innovation – what’s new
• Research and Teaching
• Building Bridges –engaging the entire research enterprise
• Teaching Innovation
NSERC…an important tool of the federal government
The Mission of NSERC isTo make Canada a country of discoverers andinnovators for the benefit of all Canadians
To achieve this
NSERC invests in people, discovery andinnovation through programs that support research in the natural sciences and engineering in universities and colleges
What We Do at NSERC• We invest more than $950 million every year in We invest more than $950 million every year in
people, discoverypeople, discovery and and innovationinnovation
• 25,000 science and engineering25,000 science and engineering students Master’s and PhD students Master’s and PhD
• 11,500 university & college 11,500 university & college professors professors
• Funding based on excellence Funding based on excellence and peer reviewand peer review
• Leverage funding of 1,400 Leverage funding of 1,400 companiescompanies
NSERC Budget 2007-08(millions of dollars)
Total: $957
Discovery$413 - 43.2%
People$307 - 32.0%
Administration$44 - 4.6%
Innovation$193 - 20.2%
People AdvantageAttract, retain and grow
base of knowledge workers.
Entrepreneurial AdvantageTranslate knowledge into wealth, wellness and well-
being
Knowledge AdvantageBuild on research
strengths, generate new ideas
IMPLEMENTING THE S&T STRATEGY
Mobilizing S&T to Canada’s Advantage
PEOPLEDISCOVERY
INNOVATION
Core PrinciplesFoster Partnerships
Promote Excellence
Focus on Priorities
Enhance Accountability
New S&T Funding in 2007 & 2008 Budget 2007 provided $9.2 Billion for new
investments in S&T including:
• $85M per year for the granting councils:- $37M for NSERC, targeted to research in energy,
the environment and information and communications technologies (Priority Areas)
- $37M for CIHR for research in the health sciences- $11M for SSHRC, targeted to research in
management, business and financeThe councils are to collaborate in managing these targeted resources, in order to combine the strengths of various disciplines and achieve the greatest impact.
New S&T Funding in 2007 & 2008
Budget 2007 also provided:• $48M over 5 years to NSERC to make permanent and
expand the College Pilot Program
• $510M to the CFI
• $11M to accelerate the creation of new networks, to be led by the private sector. (Business-led NCEs)
• $270M for centres of excellence in commercialization and research (CECRs)
• $4.5M over two years to establish a new Industrial R&D Internship program (IRDI)
New S&T Funding in 2007 & 2008Budget 2008 provides:
• $80M per year for the three granting councils to jointly support multidisciplinary and internationally peer-reviewed research in priority areas, and partner with public and private stakeholders to ensure that practical solutions are found. This includes:
- $34M per year for NSERC for collaborative research that directly contributes to the knowledge and innovation needs of Canada’s automotive, manufacturing, forestry and fishing industries.
New S&T Funding in 2007 & 2008Budget 2008 also provides
Canada Graduate Scholarships - $25M per year to support 500 Canadian and International PhD students
International Study Stipends - 250 stipends at $6K for Canadians to study abroad
Canada Global Excellence Research Chairs - 20 new Chairs at up to $10M over 7 years (in priority areas)
Canadian Light Source - $5M per year for 2 yrs.
Indirect Costs of Research - $15M per year
Building the People AdvantageScholarships and Fellowships support graduate and undergraduate students and post docs
Industrial Scholarships enable industry to hire undergraduates and post docs and to collaborate with graduate students and NSERC shares costs
Industrial Research Chairs assist universities to build critical mass in an industrially relevant area of research
Discovery and Partnership Grants enable faculty to support students and post docs
Building the People AdvantageMajor Awards and Prizes celebrate and highlight Canadian excellence in research and innovation
PromoScience promotes science interest and awareness
Centres for Research in Youth, Science Teaching And Learning (CRYSTAL) support transformative research into science and math education
Building the People AdvantageNew program – LOIs due June 30
CREATE Collaborative Research and Training Experience
Supports training of teams of students and post docs through innovative programs that– encourage collaborative & integrative approaches– address significant scientific challenges – facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees
Building the People AdvantageCREATE Program continued
Encourages – acquisition & development of professional skills– student mobility – interdisciplinary research
Funding – 6 years – Year 1 up to $150K; Years 2-6 up to $300K– Minimum 80% of grant for stipends for HQP
DISCOVERY Building the Knowledge Advantage
Discovery Grants contribute to the support of ongoing programs of research
Accelerator Supplements provide resources to accelerate progress of a research program supported by a DG - new in 2006; 79 in 07-08
Special Research Opportunities support new and emerging research opportunities or develop new national and international collaborations
Research Tools and Instruments and Major Resources Support Grants provide access to facilities and equipment
International Review of Discovery Grants Program (DGP)
Conclusions
• The DGP is an effective and efficient way to support research
• From the researchers’ perspective the DGP makes Canada more competitive in the “war for talent”
• Breadth of support provided reflects Canada’s regional realities without sacrificing excellence.
• The best researchers use DG to lever an internationally –competitive level of funding from other sources
International Review of DGP
Conclusions continued
• The success rate is not incompatible with, and in fact, encourages a high degree of research excellence across a broad range of fields
• The broad base of DGP grants contributes significantly to meeting the nation’s needs for research results and HQP
• The DGP is an exceptionally productive investment and deserves additional funding to ensure that the value of its grants keeps pace with growing opportunity
International Review of DGP
Recommendations
• An applicant’s previous DG should not be starting point for new grant
• Double the number of Accelerator Supplements • Revise the Grant Selection Committee structure In 07-08 also a GSC Structure Review –
recommendations implemented by 2010 competition• Increase support for training HQP• Increase funding for DGP to ensure the level of the
grants keeps pace with growing opportunity
Innovation - Building the Entrepreneurial Advantage
Innovation occurs when a business introduces new products or services to the marketplace, or adopts new ways of making products or services. The concept may refer to technical advances in how products are made or shifts in attitudes about how products and services are developed, sold and marketed.
Innovation - Building the Entrepreneurial Advantage
NSERC Advances Innovation
• Builds on its base of support for discovery-based research and training
• Leads in developing strategies and support for innovation by:
- Stimulating public-private research & training partnerships
- Accelerating the development of technology
- Facilitating the transfer of research results and technology to the users
Innovation - Building the Entrepreneurial Advantage
Research Partnership Programs are grouped:Strategic Partnerships Programs - targeted to
accelerate research in areas of national importance to Canada
Industry-Driven Programs - addressing industry’s research and training needs and priorities, facilitating the productive use of knowledge
Tech Transfer/Commercialization Programs – increasing market connection and knowledge
and technology transfer
Innovation - Building the Entrepreneurial Advantage
Strategic Partnerships Programs support research projects and networks in target areas of national importance
• Quality Foods and Novel Bioproducts • Biomedical Technologies • Advanced Communications and Management of Information• Competitive Manufacturing and Value Added Products and
processes• Healthy Environment and Ecosystems • Sustainable Energy Systems • Safety and Security
Innovation - Building the Entrepreneurial Advantage
In 2007-08
invested $24.5 M of the new funds in Strategic Partnerships Program to- fund additional projects in the priority areas in the regular Strategic Projects competition
- launch an additional Strategic Projects competition in the priority areas
- support expanded training and international activities in the Strategic Networks
- NRC-NSERC-BDC Nanotechnology Competition
Innovation - Building the Entrepreneurial Advantage
In 2007-08 continued • Expanded the definitions of the target areas• Support up to 30% social science activity in
Strategic Projects• Launched the College and Community Innovation Program • Called for Strategic Networks proposals in the priority areas
In 2008-09• Additional Strategic Projects and Networks in the Priority
areas will be funded• Consultations with the Automotive, Forestry, Fisheries,
Manufacturing sectors re delivery of new funding
Research at Teaching-Intensive Institutions
• College and Community Innovation Program – now a permanent program
• Research Capacity Development in Small Universities pilot program
• Undergraduate Scholarships (USRAs)
NSERC and the CollegesNSERC views the colleges as – Closely linked with industry locally and regionally– Playing an important and growing role in advancing
innovation – Having a unique role distinct from that of universities
NSERC’s goal – Assist the colleges in advancing innovation
– Using existing programs – Creating new mechanisms that recognize the unique
role of the colleges
NSERC and the CollegesExisting Programs• Open eligibility to regular programs
appropriate to colleges’ role where they can compete on an equal footing - Idea to Innovation (I2I)
• Allow eligibility as co-applicants with universities - Programs supporting project research - Intellectual Property Mobilization Program (IPM)
New Mechanisms• Develop programs open only to colleges
- College and Community Innovation Program
College and Community Innovation Program
Objectives• Increase innovation at the community and/or
regional level by enabling Canadian colleges to strengthen their capacity to work with local companies, particularly SMEs
• Support applied research and collaborations that facilitate commercialization, technology transfer adoption of new technologies
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College and Community Innovation Program
Anticipated Impacts • Encourage colleges and industry partnerships to
increase local / regional economic sector• Professors and Students participating in applied
R&D activities on real industry problems• Increase applied research capacity and
technology transfer activities in colleges as well as in local firms including SMEs
• Local companies adopting new technologies, launching new and improved products and processes
Assessment of Contributions to Training
• NSERC supports research training of undergraduates, graduate students and post docs
• Contributions to training are evaluated when reviewing all proposals- individual applicants – training record
- research proposals – number of graduate and undergraduates to be
trained
Assessment of Contributions to Training
NSERC also encourages researchers to:
• Participate in outreach activities and activities designed to engage students in the NSE
• Improve teaching and learning in NSE
• List these activities as part of their contributions to research and training.
Impact of Research on Teaching/Curriculum
• CRD Program – 276 final reports 72% report “use of real world examples”,
57% new content, 5% new courses• College Pilot Program – mid-term review grant had an important impact on course
content and curriculum in all cases 4 of 6 institutions reported new courses had
been or would be developed as a result
Building Bidges – Encouraging Partnerhsips
Research Partnership Programs link academic researchers with the public and private sectors by collaborative research projects
Analysis of 349 Strategic Projects reports• 94% of partners satisfied with relationship• 71% of researchers and 66% of partners
reported ongoing collaborationStrategic Workshops Program established
Building Bridges-Encouraging Partnerships
Challenges • Involving researchers – only 25% of NSERC-
funded researchers participate in the Research Partnership Programs
• Involving SMEs – number of small companies participating in RPP growing but can/should increase
Teaching Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Learning by Doing • NSERC Industrial Scholarships and Fellowships • Enhanced training in RPP: >85% of HQP work directly
with partner; 15% partner supervised theses projects
Programs • Ontario Centres of Excellence VAP program• Business schools
Rewarding Innovation • University reward system • NSERC’s Synergy and Innovation Challenge Awards
Performance in Building the Entrepreneurial Advantage
• NSERC currently partners with more than 1400 companies in supporting university-industry collaborative research projects
• 154 active spin-off companies have been created from NSERC-funded research. They employ nearly 19,000 Canadians and generate more than $3.4 billion annually
• Over the past decade, industrial contributions to projects supported by the CRD Program have totaled $450 million, outpacing NSERC’s investment by over 50%.
