Good afternoon. My name is Maria Aubrey and I'm the acting president of the National Research Council. I'm joined by the NRC vice-president of life services, Dr. Roman Szumski, as well as the vice-president of our industrial research assistance program, very well known as IRAP, Mr. Bogdan Ciobanu.
I'm pleased to provide the members of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology with an overview of the NRC, our role within Canada's innovation system, and some examples of how we're fulfilling our role and our vision for the future.
The NRC's budget for 2016-17 is approximately $1.05 billion, with $287 million of that earmarked for IRAP contributions.
The organization has 3,700 employees, with scientific facilities and infrastructure located across Canada. The R and D capabilities of our staff cover a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines, from microbiologists to aerospace engineers and from quantum physicists to organic chemists.
The NRC has a rich history of using its expertise and specialized infrastructure to tackle complex innovation challenges for Canada.
This year we celebrate our 100th anniversary. We have made remarkable contributions to Canada over that time, from developing the cardiac pacemaker, to anti-counterfeiting technologies, to delivering a vaccine for infant meningitis for the world. NRC is certainly proud of its accomplishments.
One thing that's helped to ensure our longevity and valuable contributions to Canada is our ability to evolve and to respond to the changing needs of the country. At this time of significant change, where the pace and the intensity of global competition and the complexity of global challenges is increasing, innovation is essential to Canada's success and its prosperity. NRC is once again well positioned and ready to help Canada meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Our areas of R and D focus are driven by long-term perspectives, and they are focused on the needs and issues facing the country over the next few decades. They include issues such as the environment and climate change, health, security, communities, natural resources, and of course sustainable economic development.
I'd like to give you some current examples of work we're doing to help Canada tackle some of these challenges.
Agriculture is not only a sector that's vital to Canada, but also one that we believe we can make more productive, profitable, and environmentally sustainable through innovation. That's why NRC is part of a partnership known as the Canadian Wheat Alliance, which involves Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Province of Saskatchewan, and the University of Saskatchewan. This 11-year commitment to collaborate on long-term R and D integrates complementary areas of expertise among the partner organizations in wheat breeding, genomics, biotechnology, and pathology. Through this research, the Canadian Wheat Alliance members are working to develop new wheat varieties. Benefits to Canada include the production of stable and increased wheat yields, better resistance of wheat to environmental and disease stresses, reduced agricultural input costs, lower environmental impacts, and improved prosperity for Canadian farmers.
In the area of clean technologies, NRC is collaborating with key partners, including industry, to deploy an algal carbon conversion demonstration plant. What's really exciting is that the facility will use marine algae to convert carbon dioxide emissions—for example emissions from manufacturing industries such as steel, pulp and paper, or oil and gas—into biomass, which can then be converted to biofuels or other valuable products. Successful deployment will propel Canada to be a world leader in managing carbon emissions and resources, and help to create and expand markets for Canadian photobioreactor producers.
Clients and collaborators often come to the NRC because we can quickly mobilize skills from across our diverse R and D capabilities. For example, NRC engineers, biologists, and chemists worked together with private sector partners to enable the development of a novel bio jet fuel. This product was then used to fly the world's first civil aircraft with 100% bio jet fuel. Validating and demonstrating the viability of the bio jet fuel was a critical step in helping the companies involved work toward commercializing their technologies.
I've given you some examples of how the NRC has succeeded in stimulating innovation and economic development for the country. But what I am often asked is what exactly the NRC's role is in Canada's innovation system. We play a complementary and vital bridging role across university research, the research activities of other government departments, and the R and D needs of Canadian industry.
Our breadth of expertise, our globally rare or unique scientific infrastructure, and our national scope enable the NRC to bring together players from across the innovation spectrum in Canada and abroad.
We work collaboratively in areas of common interest with other federal science-based departments and agencies, which typically conduct R and D to help inform policy and regulatory decision-making. While the expertise of other federal departments typically lies in one domain, such as health or agriculture, NRC is involved in a wide variety of science and engineering disciplines. This breadth of expertise allows us to help them address issues or look at problems through a multi-dimensional lens. NRC also plays a complementary role with universities, which often have knowledge as a primary focus for their R and D. NRC conducts R and D, including basic research, with the aim of applying it to address challenges we foresee in Canada. We keep a pulse on the basic science activities within the universities and other organizations, allowing us to proactively identify and address evolving needs.
NRC also works directly with Canadian companies to help address their innovation needs and challenges. Our role is to help Canadian industry adopt, adapt, and develop technologies that are expected to yield innovative products, services, or processes.
Going forward, NRC sees opportunities to further strengthen its R and D program impacts. We're well positioned to convene the right players and work collectively to tackle some of the grand and enduring innovation challenges facing Canada. We're excited at the prospect of working to support the government's upcoming innovation agenda, and our over-arching aim is to help ensure a prosperous future for Canada.
Thank you again for your interest in NRC. My two colleagues are here with me, and given that I have only been at NRC for a short while, and acting president for an even shorter time, I will rely on them for depth because my knowledge is just skimming the surface.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
