Collaborative R&D to address Canada’s priorities

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is collaborating with a range of private, public, academic, and other research organizations to deliver solutions and breakthroughs that support a healthier future for Canadians, a more sustainable economy, and benefits for Canadians through innovation.

On November 2, 2020, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the Government of Canada's investment of $44.5 million in grant and contribution funding supporting academia, industry and non‑profit recipients in Canada and internationally.

Through the NRC’s Challenge programs, Cluster Support programs and Ideation Fund initiatives, funded projects aim to support the exploration of transformative research ideas and generate game‑changing discoveries and technological breakthroughs in a wide range of social and technology challenges facing Canadians, including:

• expanding broadband Internet service in rural and remote areas
• developing clean and sustainable sources of energy
• developing precision‑engineered cell and gene therapies for chronic diseases and rare genetic disorders
• addressing ocean priorities while encouraging the development of a sustainable ocean economy
• developing smart manufacturing in ground and aerospace equipment
• developing high‑quality plant protein crops
• using artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology to accelerate discovery, R&D, and innovation

The NRC also launched a new Pandemic Response Challenge program earlier this year to address challenges requiring further R&D to find solutions to COVID‑19‑related needs. On October 30, over $796,000 in funding was announced for 6 collaborative R&D projects supporting the Pandemic Response Challenge program.

Support for these projects was made possible by the investments in science and research the Government of Canada made in Budget 2018. With $36 million per year in ongoing funding, the NRC has built collaborative research and development initiatives and programs that focus on encouraging innovation in a variety of scientific and research areas to benefit Canadians.

In addition to funding for its collaborators, the NRC is investing nearly $29 million internally towards these projects.

Learn more about collaborative R&D at the NRC, including the projects and collaborators leading the way to address issues that affect us today, and into the future.