DRR 2020-21 Supplementary Information Tables

Canada signed the Metre Convention and became a member state of BIPM in 1907

Ongoing

Contribution

Estimates

2018–19

Scientific and technological knowledge advances

Innovative businesses grow

Evidence-based solutions inform decisions in Government priority areas

Core Responsibility: Science and Innovation
Metrology

The assessed contribution to the BIPM is an obligation accepted by Canada as a signatory to the international treaty known as the Metre Convention. By representing Canada on the international metrology stage through its affiliation with the BIPM and associated regional metrology organization Sistema Interamericana de Metrologia (SIM), the NRC can more effectively and efficiently respond to its mandated responsibility for maintenance of national measurement standards, as articulated in the NRC Act and the Weights and Measures Act.

By maintaining international recognition in measurement science through its interactions with the BIPM and SIM, the NRC continues to provide metrology research and services that help transform ideas into market-ready technologies that benefit Canadian society, the economy, and the environment. In 2020–21 this included the presentation of the NRC Quality Management System to a regional task group to demonstrate the transition to a new standard and gain continued acceptance supporting its internationally recognized Calibration and Measurement Capabilities.

Not applicable

The evaluation is scheduled for completion in 2021–22.

The NRC participates in the activities and meetings relative to the Bureau international des poids et mesures and associated regional metrology organization Sistema Interamericana de Metrologia (SIM).

The NRC provides professional expertise and laboratory facilities required to deliver its metrology program to achieve socio-economic impact for Canadian citizens and businesses. In 2020–21, this included attending virtual meetings of all the Consultative Committees and associated working groups, leading regional level workshops, leading pilot studies and key comparisons involving other international metrology institutes, as well as producing 148 publications in Chemical and Physical Metrology.

Scientific and technological knowledge advances

Innovative businesses grow

Evidence-based solutions inform decisions in Government priority areas

Core Responsibility: Science and Innovation

Program: Collaborative Science, Technology and Innovation Program

The Collaborative R&D initiative, with the launch of the new Pandemic Response Challenge Program, supported 10 active challenge and Cluster Support program. 196 collaborative projects received funding for a total of $25,394,313 in grants & contributions to support these collaborative R&D programs.

Ideation Fund: Three collaborative projects with 10 collaborators received funding, for a total of $1,052,158 in grant support through the Small Teams Initiative – Round 1. In addition, 84 collaborative projects received $1,073,000 in grant support under the New Beginnings Initiative. This included, support for 42 new projects selected under the program's Round 3 and top-up funding to 42 existing Round 2 projects impacted by COVID-19.

16 outreach projects were funded for a total of $258,000 in grants support, helping to provide many young Canadians and underrepresented groups with exposure to formative STEM learning opportunities and experiences.

For NRC Collaborative R&D Initiatives, potential collaborators, stakeholders and eligible recipients are invited by the NRC to participate in designing the R&D focus as well as proposed projects intended to achieve outcomes for each specific initiative. External researchers are invited to work with NRC researchers to develop team proposals to compete for project funding. Projects are selected against criteria such as research excellence, impact, collaborations, and feasibility/probability of success.

For the Ideation Fund, annual open calls within the NRC are launched for individuals or small teams to submit proposals to conduct exploratory research with collaborators. Projects are selected against criteria such as: research excellence, innovation/creativity, deliverables, collaboration and feasibility.

• Fuel the development and adoption of technological innovation in Canada.
• Grow Canadian companies through direct funding to support early stage, pre-commercial R&D, late stage prototypes, and to accelerate commercialization.
• Encourage procurement from companies led by under-represented groups, such as women, Indigenous, youth, disabled individuals, LGBTQ+ and others.
• Foster greater industry-research collaboration through the release of challenges for solutions that address key Government of Canada priorities.
• Provide federal departments and agencies with opportunities to develop new capabilities to meet their research and development needs and thereby advance government priorities.

NRC IRAP posted six challenges which closed in 2020–21. NRC IRAP provided financial support for near-to-market solutions through ISED's ISC Challenge Program, investing $11.1M in 2020–21, to support 37 projects with Canadian SMEs. These results solidified the NRC's leadership position in ISC.

In 2020–21, NRC IRAP also sponsored seven challenges for SMEs to develop near-to-market solutions that met a COVID-19 related need. Four of the seven challenges were jointly developed with other government departments (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Public Services and Procurement Canada).

Together these challenges resulted in the funding of 37 projects with Canadian SMEs. These results solidified the NRC's leadership position in ISC. When ranked against the 20 participating departments, the NRC ranked # 1 in number of challenges posted, # 2 in Phase 1 awards (second to the Department of National Defence), and #1 in Phase 2 awards.

• Assess and select proposals for funding.
• Engage clients by developing and managing grants or contracts for proof of concept to prototype development.

Scientific and technological knowledge advances

Innovative businesses grow

Evidence-based solutions inform decisions in Government priority areas

Core Responsibility: Science and Innovation

Program: Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)

The program contributes to the growth and prosperity of Canadian SMEs by stimulating innovation, adoption and/or commercialization of technology-based products, services, or processes in Canada. This is done through: 1) technical and related business advice and networking facilitated by a cross-Canada network of field professional staff; 2) cost-shared merit-based contributions; and 3) contributions supporting employment of post-secondary graduates. [This program has the following streams: Contributions to Firms; Contributions to Organizations; and Youth Employment Program (YEP)].

NRC IRAP supports the placement of graduates in SMEs through its participation in the delivery of YEP sponsored by Employment and Social Development Canada's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS).

In 2020–21, NRC IRAP delivered the Innovation Assistance Program (IAP) in support of high growth firms in the innovation sector as a wage subsidy to assist Canadian SMEs struggling as a result of COVID-19 that did not qualify for other government wage subsidy programs.

With the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, NRC IRAP established a suite of ten temporary Subject Expert Teams (SETs) to coordinate and accelerate support to Canadian SMEs who presented viable solutions for detection, prevention and treatment of the illness. NRC IRAP supported projects to further technology development, capacity building and manufacturing scale-up in response to COVID-19.

Recipients are not required to repay funds obtained under this transfer payment program (TPP).

• Stimulation of innovation in SMEs in Canada.
• Increased growth of innovative SMEs and creation of wealth for Canada.

Results are described in detail in the NRC's 2020–21 Departmental Results Report; see main document.

NRC IRAP is a national program managed on a regional basis delivered by a network of over 265 Industrial Technology Advisors (ITAs) located in approximately 110 communities across the country who provide customized advice to growth oriented technologically innovative SMEs. ITAs are engaged with client SMEs throughout the entire contribution management process, from building project proposals through to project completion.

At the end of their funded project, recipients are required to complete an online Post-Project Report. This assessment captures information on the recipient's experience with NRC IRAP and, along with published service standards, is used by the program to develop continuous program improvements.

NRC IRAP has an Advisory Board composed of 10 to 12 members from the industry sector and industry associations. This Board provides advice to NRC IRAP management and brings an external perspective on the strategic directions and management of the program.

NRC IRAP is actively engaged with Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) Grants and Contributions Reform. Participation in workshops and constant alignment with recent TBS policy and guidelines has enabled the program to steadily move toward principles such as a Recipient Engagement Strategy.

Core Responsibility: Science and Innovation

Program: International Affiliations

• Enhanced the NRC's international visibility and Canada's reputation as a global leader in science, technology and innovation (STI).
• Enhanced Canadian influence in solidifying interdisciplinary science-based global policy making.
• Contributed to Canadian STI leader development via ISC opportunities for leadership development and leadership opportunities implementing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) approaches.
• Increased market-oriented innovation opportunities to Canadian SMEs and export growth via global value chains to ensure Canadian excellence and competitiveness.

An in-depth engagement took place with representatives of each Canadian National Committee (CNC) that has assessed evolving priorities, most valued benefits of the program to participants and perceived needs of each international affiliation's CNC.

Further ongoing dialogue has begun with existing CNCs to gauge their desired level of international participation as well as with other potential applicants.

An Advisory Committee for the program has been established. It has now met through two full fiscal years, drawing on cross government science departments and agencies and deploying expertise to leverage Canadian international science objectives. A regular, frequent interaction will ensure continuous engagement and coordination.

In addition, engagement with international affiliations management has intensified and will continue to better gauge impact and plans. This will inform the Canadian STI management community of the science diplomacy needs of Canadian practitioners in light of track records of international affiliations and of associated level of required support.

Moreover, a regular engagement will continue to take place including completion of a reporting questionnaire.

Scientific and technological knowledge advances

Innovative businesses grow

Evidence-based solutions inform decisions in Government priority areas

Core Responsibility: Science and Innovation

Program: Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics

Astronomy is a global science. The increasing cost of leading-edge observatories and the scarcity of ideal observation sites have led to a greater focus on international collaboration for large-scale astronomy projects which lead to advances in our knowledge and understanding of the universe.

The NRC, in collaboration with other international bodies, provides financial contributions to support the management and operations of offshore ground-based observatories and their related facilities, including the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), the twin telescopes of the Gemini Observatory and the Atacama Large Millimetre-submillimetre Array (ALMA). The NRC participates in the oversight and direction of these facilities and their research capabilities. The NRC also represents Canada in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) consortium for the pre-construction phase of the telescope. In 2015, Canada joined the international partnership to participate in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The NRC, on behalf of Canada, provides both financial and in-kind contributions.

International agreements governing these observatories are long-term commitments that specify contributions to support preconstruction design and development, construction, operation and maintenance, capital improvements (e.g., development of new astronomical instruments and other facility upgrades) and decommissioning of the international ground-based observatories and their related facilities. In addition, they include commitments to support the university-based user communities to ensure a fair and progressive use of these observatories. The NRC participates in the governance of these international facilities on behalf of the Canadian astronomy research community and provides appropriate support, including sophisticated data management services and instrumentation. Through the NRC's financial and in-kind contributions, the Canadian astronomy community is assured merit-based access to these facilities with appropriate support.

Recipients are not required to repay funds obtained under this TTP.

• Demand by Canadian astronomers for international observatories continued to exceed time available, an indicator of the relevance of the observatories and their instrumentation. 227 scientific papers were published by users based on data obtained using the CFHT, 250 based on data from the Gemini Observatory, and 441 based on data from ALMA.
• The NRC's astronomy and astrophysics researchers published 162 refereed journal articles, 53 non-refereed publications and made 53 presentations at national & international institutes, conferences and workshops.
• The NRC's Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC) houses over 1.6 petabytes (PB) of open science data from the world's astronomical telescopes. From these collections, the CADC delivered 4.9 PB of data (102 million distinct files, many delivered multiple times) to over 18,000 distinct network addresses around the globe.
• Logan Francis, a graduate student co-supervised by an NRC researcher, and then-NRC postdoctoral fellow Nienke van der Marel published a noteworthy paper that mined the ALMA data archive for observations of forming solar systems. This comparative study allowed them to place very tight constraints on when in a disk's evolution, a forming planet could be detected.
• NRC astronomer Doug Johnstone and visiting Korean graduate student Yong-Hee Lee published their analysis of a decade of repeating brightness bursts from a still-forming star. Aimed at uncovering the processes responsible for the recurrent dumping of material onto the star, these unique observational measurements are essential to motivate theoretical investigations into the formation of stars and planets.
• NRC astronomer Christian Marois was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, enabling him to advance development of a new polychromatic imaging system in the NRC's NEW EARTH laboratory to search for Earth-like planets around other stars. An external review committee also selected Dr. Marois' proposal for funding under the NRC's Small Teams Ideation Program, providing support to work in collaboration with external researchers and graduate students.
• CHIME (the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment), located at the NRC's DRAO (Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory) site, confirmed its dominant position in the exciting field of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) with two Nature articles, each cited more than 100 times, and an FRB catalog that increased the number of known FRBs more than tenfold.
• The NRC was chosen to supply a critical component, a real-time controller that is the brain behind a next-generation adaptive optics system at the Gemini North telescope. This multiyear contract, leveraging design work done for the TMT, is valued at over $1M, and demonstrates how the NRC provides critical support for international observatories and ensures that Canadian astronomers have access to state-of-the-art facilities.
• The NRC obtained a contract to supply the SKA MeerKAT observatory in South Africa with in-house designed critical components, called low-noise amplifiers, which enable highly sensitive radio receivers. To achieve this, the NRC relies heavily on Canadian suppliers to help it manufacture the state-of-the-art equipment, generating unique opportunities for its Canadian partners.

The NRC manages observatories established or maintained by the Government of Canada for the benefit of the Canadian astronomy research community, aligning its contributions to the priorities of the community's Long Range Plan for Astronomy and Astrophysics. The NRC participates on the Boards which oversee the observatories to ensure that the science directions and programs of the facilities reflect Canadian strengths and interests. In addition, the NRC ensures that these activities increase opportunities for Canadian researchers and firms to develop relevant instrumentation for the observatories.

To carry out its roles effectively, the NRC provides current information about each observatory to research community-based committees of scientists, which provide expert advice on observatory operations and development. The NRC provides extensive support to the user community through numerous services extending from administering the time allocation process for Canadian researchers, to delivery of science-ready data (through the CADC).

Scientific and technological knowledge advances

Innovative businesses grow

Evidence-based solutions inform decisions in Government priority areas

Core Responsibility: Science and Innovation

Program: TRIUMF

TRIUMF is Canada's particle accelerator centre. The laboratory is one of Canada's key investments in large-scale research infrastructure. It provides world-class facilities for research in sub-atomic physics, accelerator science, life sciences, and materials science. A consortium of Canadian universities own and operate TRIUMF, which receives its federal operational funding through the NRC in five-year allocations via a contribution agreement. The NRC plays an important oversight and stewardship role for TRIUMF on behalf of the Government of Canada.

Recipients are not required to repay funds obtained under this TPP.

• TRIUMF contributed to the publication of 317 manuscripts in scientific journals.
• TRIUMF researchers involved in the ALPHA (Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus) antimatter experiment at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) achieved a world's first breakthrough result with the laser cooling of anti-hydrogen. This is a major achievement, which will pave the way for the most precise test of matter and anti-matter behaviour. The results were published as a cover story in the journal Nature.
• The team at TRIUMF's TITAN facility completed important studies on scandium isotopes (together with collogues from the radioactive beam facility at Michigan State University). The findings, including a complete theoretical description, were published in Physical Review Letters.
• The Molecular and Material Science team at TRIUMF, together with researchers from the University of British Columbia, and ETH-Zurich, performed detailed muon spin rotation measurements in the classic antiferromagnet Fe2O3.  This work uncovered new and important information about the material characteristics of this substance which will drive further research going forward.
• The ARIEL facility construction project made significant progress despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Major achievements include advancing the target hall shielding, achieving a successful factory acceptance of the hot cells, and completing the CANadian Rare isotope facility with Electron Beam ion source (CANREB) project.
• CANREB delivered its first radioactive ion beams to experiments within TRIUMF's ISAC-II facility. CANREB's high-resolution separator demonstrated a resolution of 10,000 without correction elements – a milestone achievement in beam physics.
• The ARIEL electron linear accelerator was successfully commissioned to deliver a 30 MeV beam at 1 kW beam power level; this achievement sets the stage for the future high power (10 kW) phases of the commissioning.
• Despite the impact of the pandemic, TRIUMF was able to host 175 scientific visitors, students, and users, 48 of which came from international institutions.
• TRIUMF trained more than 220 highly qualified personnel, including undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers.
• Construction continued on the Institute for Advanced Medical Isotope facility, with the project on track for substantial completion in summer 2022.
• TRIUMF continued to advance its plan to produce and commercialize a new isotope (Ac-225) that shows great promise as a treatment option for patients with late stage untreatable cancers. A funding and collaboration agreement was secured with Fusion Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian company that is a leader in Ac-225 drug development.
• TRIUMF spinoff, ARTMS Products – created in collaboration with BC Cancer, the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization, and Lawson Health Institute in response to the isotope crisis from the closing of the Chalk River reactor – received Health Canada approval. ARTMS also expanded its product line and formed new partnerships with Telix Pharmaceuticals and Isotopia Molecular Imaging. ARTMS was also awarded $300K in funding from Innovate BC to fund a new collaboration with TRIUMF to develop a new zirconium-89 product.
• Another TRIUMF spinoff, Ideon (formerly CRM Geotomography), continues to advance the development and commercialization of proprietary detector technologies and artificial intelligence techniques to provide x-ray like imaging beneath the earth's surface. Ideon successfully developed a borehole sized detector and announced funding from NRC IRAP (EUREKA), as well as new partnerships with France's Orano Group and Canada's Fireweed Zinc Ltd. mining companies.
• TRIUMF Innovations was selected as the co-lead for a $30M national Medical Isotope Innovation Ecosystem proposal for the Strategic Innovation Fund Stream 5 program.
• Work began on a project to implement Workday, a new Enterprise Resource Planning system, which is on track to launch in July 2021. This modernization of core systems will result in the reduction of manual data entry, the mitigation of operational risk through retirement of unsupported legacy systems, and the creation of new efficiencies across the continuum of HR and Finance processes.

The NRC chairs the Agency Committee on TRIUMF (ACT), which includes the federal agencies that fund and oversee activities at TRIUMF, providing TRIUMF management the opportunity to present progress and discuss future directions for the facility.

The NRC also manages the Advisory Committee on TRIUMF (ACOT), composed of international experts within disciplines that span the research and technology activities of TRIUMF. ACOT reports its findings to the NRC and TRIUMF senior management twice annually, making recommendations on programs and management as well as reporting on the scientific and technological achievements of TRIUMF programs and facilities. Observer representatives from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Canadian Institute of Particle Physics, the materials science community and TRIUMF's user community ensure that TRIUMF's directions are well aligned with the research community's needs and that TRIUMF is working with all its constituencies across Canada. The Committee considers all aspects of the TRIUMF program, with a particular emphasis on science and technological issues to ensure the relevance, impact, and world-class standing of TRIUMF's activities.

Through NRC activities in ACT and ACOT, the NRC maintains a close relationship with TRIUMF. Dialogue ensures that investments are optimal, the NRC meets the needs of its recipient, and provides a vehicle for feedback on the transfer payment management process.

TRIUMF has approximately 430 staff and students supported via the NRC's contribution agreement. An additional 128 positions are supported through other sources for specific designated purposes, including temporary funds to operate new capital infrastructure. In a typical year, TRIUMF provides training for more than 200 undergraduate, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. TRIUMF has numerous programs aimed at young people, students, teachers, and the general public to ensure that as many as possible share the wonder of discovery and experience the excitement generated by one of Canada's premier laboratories. In addition, TRIUMF offers a suite of programs to aide in the growth and development of professional skills for its graduate students and postdocs.