National Research Council of Canada

Encyclopedia : N : NA : NAT : National Research Council of Canada

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is Canada's leading organization for scientific research and development. NRC was established in 1916, mainly to advise the government. Then, in the early 1930s, laboratories were built in Ottawa. NRC grew rapidly during World War II, then played a major role during the explosion of basic and applied science and engineering research between 1945-65. NRC personnel invented the artificial pacemaker, developed canola (rapeseed) (1940s), the Crash Position Indicator (1950s) and the Cesium Beam atomic clock (1960s). More recently, the NRC has been highly influential in the field of audio. A great deal of research at the NRC has gone into the designs of many popular speakers from Canadian speaker manufacturers like Energy Loudspeakers and Paradigm Electronics, and their research has influenced speaker designs around the world.

NRC now focuses on developing partnerships with private and public-sector technology companies, both in Canada and elsewhere.

The TRIUMF laboratory at University of British Columbia was partly funded by the NRC.

Specialized agencies and services which have grown out of the National Research Council of Canada include:

Contents

1 Planning and Reporting
2 Employment
3 Governance
4 Cold War
5 See also
6 External links

Planning and Reporting

The NRC reports yearly within the Treasury Board Secretariat's Results-Based Management Framework. The most recent Departmental Performance Report (DPR) is 2003-2004. The NRC is current guided by a strategic Vision 2006: Science at Work for Canada. Vision 2006 identifies five "strategic pillars" for the NRC: Outstanding People – Outstanding Employer, Excellence and Leadership in R&D, Technology Clusters, Value for Canada, and Global Reach. Starting in January 2005, the NRC has been engaged in a Renewal process to examine the future of science and technology in Canada, and the roles that the NRC might play.

Employment

Plaque on the main NRC building in Ottawa.

The National Research Council employs close to 4,000 people across Canada. Like all government agencies, it is subject to strict hiring rules. The NRC's hiring policies include employment equity.

In 1992, a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued a ruling that the National Research Council had discriminated against one of its employees, Dr. Chander P. Grover, on the basis of his race, national origin (Indian) and colour. Complaints of racial discrimination are ongoing against the National Research Council.

Governance

The NRC is governed by a governing council. Current members of the council are: Patricia Béretta, Louis Brunel, Pierre Coulombe (President and Chairman), Delwyn Fredlund, Wayne Gulliver, James Hatton, Joseph Hubert, Pascale Michaud, Gilles Patry, Alan Pelman, Louise Proulx, René Racine, Salma Rajwani, Inge Russell, Katherine Schultz, Barbara Stanley, Howard Tennant, Jean-Claude Villiard, and Louis Visentin.

Cold War

According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service website, the NRC headquarters in Ottawa "was a prime espionage target" during the Cold War. [link]

External links