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
An equitable, diverse and inclusive NRC supports better research and better outcomes for Canadians. With diverse voices at the table, we get more perspectives and fresh ideas. This year, we stepped up our efforts in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI); expanded our work with Indigenous partners; and strengthened collaborations with research organizations around the world.
Championing EDI
For EDI initiatives to be successful, they have to be more than directives from the human resources department. This year, we appointed champions throughout our organization in the areas listed below. These volunteers have agreed to raise the profile of the needs and realities of employees and communities, and will be visible and vocal in support of related initiatives within the NRC and across the government. Backed by executive sponsorship for each area, the champion program will help build a sense of inclusion, integration and respect across our organization, with buy-in and ownership from everyone at the NRC.
- Anti-racism: Dr. Jean-François Houle and Dr. Ibrahim Yimer
- Accessibility and disability inclusion: Dale MacMillan and Dr. Julie Lefebvre
- 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion: Dr. Sue Twine and Amy Campbell
- Wellness and mental health: Dr. Lakshmi Krishnan and Dr. Mouhab Meshreki
- Official languages: Dr. Pascale Champagne and Donald Bourget
- Indigenous engagement: Dr. Shannon Quinn and Jean-François Picard
- Women: Dr. Geneviève Tanguay and Emily Harrison
Celebrating women in STEM
In November 2022, we launched our first call for proposals for the NRC Luise and Gerhard Herzberg Postdoctoral Fellowship, following the announcement of the new fellowship at last year's Celebrating the Success of Women in STEM Symposium. This fellowship offers a recent PhD graduate who identifies as a woman to undertake a 2-year research project of their design at the NRC.
In February 2023, we held our annual symposium on women in STEM, this year with the theme of celebrating 100 years of women's contributions to research. We had a total of approximately 1,800 registrants to the symposium, which included scientific discussions, an expert panel on women's leadership and more.
Expanding initiatives with Indigenous partners
We brought back our Indigenous student hiring pilot project for a second year, expanding it in 2022–2023 to involve more divisions and research centres across the NRC. We also provided more training to supervisors about supporting Indigenous students.
This year, we also started looking at how to facilitate the transition from pilot project to permanent initiative going forward—and at how the lessons learned from this project could inform future initiatives in support of other equity-deserving groups.
Our Arctic and Northern Challenge program works with Canadian and international partners from Northern communities, academia, industry, government and other interested parties to address pressing issues affecting the quality of life of Northern peoples, including housing, health, food and water.
In May 2022, in collaboration with our Canada-Inuit Nunangat-United Kingdom Arctic Research Programme (CINUK) partners, we selected 13 projects, based on Inuit and regional perspectives, to address key challenges in the North such as lung health, mitigation and adaptation to changing ground conditions, and renewable energy in off-grid cabins.
In collaboration with the Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre, this Challenge program is also working with traditional craft producers from the North to find the best ways to keep people living and working in the North warm and safe. Using technologies such as a thermal mannequin, testing has so far demonstrated that natural materials such as seal skin, eider duck down and qiviut (muskox wool fibers) have better thermal performance than modern synthetic materials.
Our Indigenous Languages Technology project also continued throughout 2022–2023, with work on speech and text-based technologies related to more than 25 languages. ReadAlong Studio, which is available for 22 Indigenous languages in Canada, was adapted this year into a desktop app that does not depend on the cloud, making it more accessible to remote communities with limited online connectivity.
The open-source software can also be adapted to Indigenous languages outside Canada. Since the March 2022 International Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation, 614 unique visitors from across the world have visited the project website and 77 unique ReadAlong versions in various languages have been made on the site.
Making the Killam Program more equitable
The National Killam Program is privately funded through the generous contribution of Dorothy J. Killam to build Canada's future by encouraging advanced study. In 2022, we took on the administration of the Killam Program on behalf of the Killam Trustees, who are charged with achieving the vision set out in the 1965 bequest of Dorothy Killam.
The program provides prizes and fellowships to scholars of exceptional ability who are making a difference in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering. Dorothy Killam fellows are required to reflect at least one of the attributes of inclusive collaboration, barrier breaking and research leadership.
As the new administrator of the program, we are working to ensure all parts and processes incorporate equity, diversity and inclusion, and to encourage participation from equity-deserving groups.
Extending our partnerships around the world
In 2022–2023, we launched a joint call for industrial research and development proposals with partners in Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as several joint calls for research proposals with partners in Japan. Our work with Japan will include projects related to AI-based solutions for better living, co-innovations with Japanese corporations and proof-of-concept projects with Japanese multinational enterprises.
Following 10 years of associate membership in the Eureka network, Canada was officially invited to become a full member in summer 2022. Eureka brings together private enterprise, research institutions and other innovators to advance market-driven industrial research and development. Full membership will provide more opportunities for Canadian innovators and enable Canada to have a greater voice and make a larger contribution to Eureka's goals.
In November 2022, the Government of Canada formally launched its Indo-Pacific Strategy to deepen the country's engagement with the Indo-Pacific region, support regional peace and security, strengthen economic growth and resilience, and promote sustainable development.
NRC IRAP will support the strategy in 2 ways: by expanding the Canadian International Innovation Program (which is delivered in collaboration with the Trade Commissioner Service on behalf of Global Affairs Canada) into new economies in the region, and by introducing dedicated funding to help Canadian businesses demonstrate clean technologies through deployment of pilots in the region.