Since 1989, Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) have been providing a platform to unite Canada's corporate, academic, and public sectors in an effort to encourage, foster, and support scientific collaboration. The NCE program is an integral part of the federal government's Innovation Strategy — one aim of which is to see Canada move into the ranks of the top five countries in the world in terms of research and development performance.
     NCE's 21 existing research networks focus and apply intellectual and financial resources from across Canada in an effort to effect real and lasting economic and social benefits for all Canadians. By connecting top researchers and potential industrial users, the research networks provide unique access to focused areas of Canadian research in such areas as health, human development,and biotechnology; information and communications technology; natural resources and environment; and engineering and manufacturing.

What Is a Network?
Networks of Centres of Excellence are unique partnerships among universities, industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations aimed at turning Canadian research and entrepreneurial talent into economic and social benefits for all Canadians. The very name provides a great deal of insight into this collaborative framework.
     Excellence defines the individual researchers who have distinguished themselves through a record of peer-reviewed research. The centres are created from this pool of researchers who work together on common projects. The networks are institutes without walls, formed by centres coming together to assemble a critical mass of intellectual capacity and to address strategic research questions deemed vital to Canada's social and economic development. Together, the centres are capable of achieving more than the sum of their individual efforts.
     Networks are established through a competitive, internationally peer-reviewed process and receive funding for an initial four-year period. Following the initial funding period, the network's performance is reviewed and it competes for renewal. In an attempt to keep networks relevant, funding is sustained for a maximum of 14 years.

What Is the impact?
Last year alone, the NCE supported 4,613 researchers in 68 universities. Partners of the network included 624 companies, 184 provincial and federal government departments, 232 agencies from Canada, and 298 international organizations. These partners provide more than the human capital; over just the past three years they have generated $242 million in funding — allowing NCE to double its budget of some $232 million during the same period.
     Over the same three-year period the NCE created 31 spinoff companies, filed 346 patents, and obtained 163 licenses. The networks were also responsible for the advanced training of almost 7,000 highly qualified professionals, including researchers, Ph.D.s, graduate students, and technicians. In addition, the networks produced 3,075 research publications last year alone, helping further fuel innovation and academic research across the country and around the world.
     The benefits go beyond the immediately measurable number of patents, licenses, research papers, etc. and include both realized and foreseeable economic and societal benefits for Canadians' standard of living. Some of these benefits are highlighted below:
     • Advances in geomatic research and mathematical algorithms are assisting search and rescue operations, air traffic management, and pollution tracking.
     • Simple models to predict the amount of mercury that makes its way into lakes and fish, after forests have been harvested, are helping forest companies minimize the negative impacts of this toxic element on Canada's freshwater resources.
     • A whole new way of detecting chemicals in the atmosphere based on intense femtosecond laser pulse excitation is being developed.
     • Researchers are developing an innovative immune treatment aimed at preventing and treating deadly health conditions such as cancer, AIDS, and hepatitis C.
     • The automobile of the twenty-first century is being studied with a focus on the health and safety of children, the reduction of fuel consumption, and more efficient manufacturing techniques.
     • Veterinarians and farmers will soon be able to use the world's first E. coli vaccine on cows, which significantly reduces the risk of food and water contamination from cattle manure.
     • Researchers are studying the SARS proteins, models of the disease-spreading patterns, and developing more rapid diagnostic tools.
     • Stem cell and genetic research is offering many the seeds of hope with the possibility of a cure for
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and a host of other diseases.
     • With a new sensor technology, pulp manufacturers will be able to run more efficient operations and reduce their energy consumption by up to 20 percent.

How Can International Firms/Organizations Participate?
The networks, while supported by the federal government, enjoy the participation of almost 300 international organizations and multinationals. Participation in a network provides access to leading-edge research and world-class collaborative teams. Various opportunities exist for international participation including researcher visits and exchanges, multicountry initiatives, and cross-program collaboration. In addition to tapping into the vast benefits associated with an existing network, international firms are able to participate in networks in an active role as principle partners.
     Firms such as DaimlerChrysler, Abbott Laboratories, Basilea Pharmaceutica, Ford, Calgon Carbon Corp., and Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd. are examples of the various current international corporate participants. In addition to corporate participants, the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Texas-based Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, and the Russian Academy of Sciences are examples of the broad international participation of leading research organizations. Those interested in participating should visit the NCE website at www.nce.gc.ca to learn more.

Current 21
There are currently 21 networks in Canada being funded under four broad categories:
     1. Health, Human Development, and Biotechnology: Examples of the nine networks in this category include the Canadian Arthritis Network, Canadian Genetic Diseases Network, Protein Engineering Network, and the Stem Cell Network.
     2. Natural Resources and Environment: The Canadian Water Network and Sustainable Forest Management Network are two examples of the five networks in this group.
     3. Engineering and Manufacturing: Auto21 and Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures are networks in this category.
     4. Advanced Technologies: This group includes such networks as the Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations, the Geomatics for Informed Decisions Network, and the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems.
The complete list of networks is available online at http://www.nce.gc.ca/nets_e.htm.

AUTO21
The mission of Auto 21 is to create and foster a network of world-class Canadian scientists, researchers, and engineers who will make unique contributions to the development of the automobile of the twenty-first century and its impact on health, societal, and environmental issues.
     The automobile affects all aspects of Canadian society, from economics to the way people spend their leisure time. As Canada's largest industry, the automotive industry directly or indirectly employs one in seven Canadians. Historically, it has also been the single largest source of export earnings. The automobile was one of the most pervasive technologies of the twentieth century — a technology that continues to shape society in the twenty-first century.
     The AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence was created to address the many issues surrounding the automobile in the twenty-first century, and to help position Canada as a leader in automotive-related research and development. The network brings together more than 200 top Canadian researchers in 28 universities and links them with more than 100 industry and government partners. An initial $23 million federal grant and $11 million in industry support help fund projects within six key research themes: health, safety, and injury prevention; societal issues and the future automobile; materials and manufacturing; powertrains, fuels, and emissions; design processes; and intelligent systems and sensors.
     Currently, AUTO21 supports 28 research projects exploring issues that range from consumer education in the use of safety devices, to new or improved processes for design, materials, and manufacturing, to advanced fuel research.
     Through this Network of Centres of Excellence, Canada will strengthen its global competitive position, as well as create the environment, the skilled work force, and the jobs that will ensure that Canada is among the leaders in the automotive industry. For more information, go to www.auto21.ca.

The Canadian Water Network (CWN)
The mission of CWN (www.cwn-rce.ca)is to ensure Canada's leadership role in the management and sustainable use of water resources, in the protection of human and aquatic ecosystem health, and in sustaining economic growth in the water technology and services sector.
     CWN develops and supports diverse, multidisciplinary projects that address critical water issues that face Canada. The program is national in scope, void of political agenda, and emphasizes the importance of addressing the socio-economic aspects of water management in conjunction with a scientific approach to the research themes. The CWN is founded on the existing research expertise across Canada, in the various water-related study areas, and functions to unite these world-renowned researchers with representatives from private industry, government, and public-sector organizations. This network of participants thus serves to effectively address Canada's water-related issues, on a regional, national, and global scale.
     Leading researchers from various water-, economic-, and health-related fields have been brought together to form multiregional, multidisciplinary collaborations. In addition to the financial support provided by the federal government's NCE program, the CWN receives funding and in-kind support from partners in private industry, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and various government and public agencies at the municipal, provincial, and federal level.
     Important products of network activities include:
     • Innovative clean water technologies that will be marketed worldwide by industrial partners;
     • A comprehensive and integrated understanding of water resources, water allocations, and water supply systems;
     • Enhanced detection techniques for waterborne pathogens, disinfection byproducts, and environmental contaminants;
     • The development of technological advances in the management of water resources, water supply issues, and wastewater treatment; and
     • Highly qualified personnel with interdisciplinary training in water resources and technology development.
     Last year was the United Nations' International Year of Freshwater. The importance of thinking globally and acting locally is increasingly apparent. The CWN is integrating various communities of interest within a watershed perspective, addressing local water resource issues in a national and global framework.

Canadian Genetic Disease Network (CGDN)
This network is committed to advancing Canada's scientific and commercial competitiveness in genetic research, and the application of genetic discoveries to prevent, diagnose, and treat human disease. To achieve its objective, CGDN ( www.cgdn.ca) participates in three essential activities:
     • Facilitates collaborative research in human genetics across Canada;
     • Educates and trains emerging scientists to excel in human genetic disease research; and
     • Facilitates partnerships between industry (biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic firms) and academia to translate research discoveries into therapies or diagnostic tests.
     CGDN scientists are at the leading-edge of genetic research. Scientists funded by the network have discovered more than 35 disease-causing genes, including genes involved in ''s, heart disease, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, muscular and myotonic dystrophies, colon cancer, breast cancer, and juvenile diabetes. Network scientists have made other significant advances in birth defects, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, Down syndrome, retinal and blood disease, childhood eye cancer, Huntington's disease, and recessive gene disorders.
     CGDN is also a leader in training emerging scientists to excel in human genetic research. The network launched the Canadian Bioinformatics Workshops (CBW) in 1999, in partnership with the Biotechnology Human Resource Council and Human Resources Development Canada, to address the critical shortage of researchers possessing essential skills in bioinformatics. CBW is a nationally accredited program that is taught by leading bioinformatics experts. Since its inception, more than 450 biologists and computer scientists, from both academia and industry, have participated in the workshop series.
     CGDN has an outstanding track record for commercializing genetic discoveries. CGDN's Strategic Investment Fund provides seed funding to early-stage research projects that demonstrate commercialization potential. The investment fund has resulted in the successful spinoff of companies such as Xenon Genetics, Aegera, SignalGene, and NeuroVir Therapeutics (acquired by MediGene). These spinoffs in turn have raised more than $135 million in investments and generated more than 900 jobs.



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