Table of contents
- Annual report 2022–2023 – Home
- Message from the President
- NRC at a glance
- Revitalizing key facilities
- Highlights and achievements
- Toward inclusivity in research
- Awards and honours
- NRC leadership
Plain HTML version: Laying the foundations for tomorrow's innovations: 2022–2023 annual report
In the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, the federal government announced nearly $1 billion over 8 years to support the modernization of our facilities and operations. This funding recognizes our essential role as a partner to Canadian businesses and innovators—and will enable us to continue to offer the cutting-edge facilities required to advance research in critical areas such as climate action and digital transformation.
In particular, much of the investment will go to projects directly involved in supporting Canada's 2050 net-zero emissions goals, advancing R&D in areas such as decarbonization, sustainable manufacturing and construction practices, critical minerals, energy storage systems, and more.
An investment of this size is an opportunity for Canada to maintain its leading role in key research areas and to become a larger player in other emerging areas expected to see substantial global growth in the near future. To administer this investment, we created the Office of Facility Renewal Management (OFRM), which will oversee the upgrades and modernization projects to be completed over the next several years.
In early 2023, work began on the project charters (which outline project scope, timelines and other key details) that will guide the first wave of facility upgrades. By creating this dedicated team, we are enabling our research centres to continue to focus on what they do best and setting ourselves up for long-term success.
Projects to be completed in the first phase of work include:
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Construction acoustics laboratory—Ottawa, ON
Supports Canada's construction sector with research, regulations and construction solutions related to sound quality in buildings. The funding will improve the facilities' scientific capabilities by replacing outdated equipment, decommissioning 1 building and consolidating 4 facilities into 1 modern facility.
Learn more about Construction acoustics laboratory
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Alternative fuel and engine technology—Ottawa, ON
Supports the development of clean energy technology, focusing on low-carbon fuel development and high-efficiency fuel use. The funding will enable the purchase of new equipment to expand research capabilities related to hydrogen, plastics and carbon emissions.
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Aluminum technology centre—Saguenay, QC
Supports the automotive and transportation sectors with specialized materials research and testing. The funding will enable the renovation of several labs and the purchase of modern equipment to support Industry 4.0 and increase the productivity of aluminum transformation in Canada.
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Bioanalytical micro-nano devices facility—Boucherville, QC
Nurtures pilot-scale prototyping, from design to certification, to support Canada's biomanufacturing supply chain. The funding will enable the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment to keep the facility at the leading edge of a rapidly evolving industry.
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Biomanufacturing facility—Montréal, QC
Supports research on novel biologics. The funding will modernize the biomanufacturing research and development laboratories and introduce new equipment required to complete the domestic research and development cycle of biological pharmaceutical products.
Learn more about Biomanufacturing facility
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Clear water tow tank—St. John's, NL
Provides simulations for a wide range of vessels, including submarines, ice breakers, yachts and high-speed warships. The funding will be used for equipment replacement and upgrades, and the implementation of a digital twinning facility to enhance modelling and simulation.
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Convair 580 aircraft replacement—Ottawa, ON
Supports research and testing related to aerospace, satellites, air quality, defence, green aviation and climate resilience. The new aircraft—a multi-purpose flying laboratory—will be able to support a broader range of research initiatives and help Canada fulfill international commitments and collaborations.
Learn more about Convair 580 aircraft replacement
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Advanced materials research facility—Mississauga, ON
Supports materials development and commercialization. The funding will establish 2 materials acceleration platforms that use AI, robotics and advanced computing to autonomously and rapidly design and test new materials, enabling research on critical minerals that will help develop next-generation, high-performance batteries.
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Energy storage integration and battery testing facilities—Boucherville, QC, and Ottawa, ON
Supports research and development in battery cell production, battery cell assembly and battery testing. The funding will enable the purchase of new equipment and the installation of specialized suites for battery fabrication and assembly.
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Fire safety testing facility—Ottawa, ON
Supports research on the fire performance of innovative products and fire protection systems. The funding will upgrade the facility to install a new smoke abatement system that will expand testing capabilities to include a wide range of full-scale experiments, while also mitigating the environmental effects of burning non-wood materials such as plastics, diesel fuel and insulation.
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Hydrogen-safe laboratories—Vancouver, BC
Enables safe research and testing of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The funding will support the replacement of outdated technology and equipment and the enhancement of lab safety systems, enabling greater diversity in research capabilities to support Canada's hydrogen strategy.
Learn more about Hydrogen-safe laboratories
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Large ice tank upgrade—St. John's, NL
Simulates arctic and northern marine conditions to evaluate vessel and structural performance in marine ice conditions. The funding will extend the tank's lifespan by 25 or more years and add new research capabilities, including frazil ice and heavy impact testing.
Learn more about Large ice tank upgrade
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Photonics facilities—Ottawa, ON
Supports research in quantum sensing, computing and communications. The funding will be used to upgrade the facilities' cryogenic and ultrafast laser systems, enabling state-of-the art research in light-matter interactions at the quantum limit. This will help build on Canada's position as a global leader in quantum science.
Learn more about Photonics facilities
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Research altitude test facility—Ottawa, ON
Simulates flight-realistic temperatures, velocities and pressures to enable aircraft engine testing at altitude and icing conditions. The funding will be used for upgrades that include a new hybrid engine chamber to support the development of electric and hydrogen-based aircraft.
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Sustainable manufacturing facilities—Boucherville, QC
Conducts research in key areas to support government priorities related to advanced manufacturing, greenhouse gas mitigation and sustainable plastics. The funding will support the purchase of new equipment, enabling new high-temperature barrier coating for low-emission jet engines, sustainable polymer technologies for packaging, mass manufacturing of composites for automotive lightweighting, and more.
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Trisonic wind tunnel—Ottawa, ON
Supports world-leading aerospace research, including into novel green technologies. The funding will improve the reliability, safety and capabilities of the tunnel by replacing and upgrading outdated equipment and systems.
Starting in 2025, every 2 years, OFRM will run an internal call for research equipment, facilities and related capital projects, with a special interest in projects involving co-investment or facilities sharing with universities, colleges, other government departments and private sector collaborators. Stakeholders can learn more by visiting the NRC website.