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:
*
Canadian Space Agency*
Defence Research Board*
Atomic Energy Canada*
Canadian Institutes of Health Research*
Communications Security Establishment*
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research CouncilThe 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 â€" 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.
 |
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.
The NRC is governed by a governing council. Current members of the council are:
Patricia BĂ©retta,
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.
According to the
Canadian Security Intelligence Service website, the NRC headquarters in Ottawa "was a prime espionage target" during the
Cold War. [
1]
The NRC is composed of over 20 institutes, including
* The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (
CISTI), Canada's National Science Library
* The
Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics*
National Research Council Time Signal*
National Research Council Canada*
DPR 2003-2004 - National Research Council Canada*
NRC Vision 2006*
NRC Renewal*
NRC Careers - Employment Equity*
The NRC Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT)*
The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI)*
NRC Associate Committee on Scientific Criteria for Environmental Quality - Environmental Fluoride 1977*
TRIUMF - Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics*
Collaboration between NRC & Canada Council for the Arts*
National Ultrahigh Field NMR Facility for Solids
