Quotes

"I invite my colleagues in industry to take advantage of the programs announced today. You would be hard pressed to achieve a better return on R&D investment. I encourage you to talk with our universities and colleges, if you have not already, to explore areas of mutual benefit."
Marlon Lewis, Chairman and CEO, Satlantic Inc.

"In the new global marketplace, it is vital that Canadian companies stay on the leading edge of productivity innovation in order to stay cost competitive. Companies can rapidly expand their innovation capacity by leveraging post-secondary research resources. Our participation (in an NSERC partnerships program) has enabled us to be the industry leader in our market by maintaining a truly active continuous improvement process."
Paul Zubick, Vice-President of Contracts at Waiward Steel Fabricators Ltd.

"The exceptional strength of Canadian postsecondary research offers a solid advantage to businesses that conduct R&D. Companies that partner with colleges and universities get privileged access to specialized knowledge, professors and brilliant students, as well as state-of-the-art facilities. They also help train the next generation of engineers and technicians."
Walter Di Bartolomeo, Vice-President, Engineering, Pratt & Whitney Canada

"NSERC's new Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation should be a boost to commercialization."
Haig Farris, President, Fractal Capital Corporation

"It is very encouraging to see a government agency show leadership in an area that is critical to the country's success. We look forward to building on our existing relationship with NSERC and Canadian academia, and encourage other businesses with R&D requirements to explore such relationships as well."
Mike Irwin, Technical Director, 3M Canada Company

"There are currently 13 NSERC Industry Partnership Programs you can leverage to help you establish short, medium or long-term research projects with universities, and the strategies being announced here today will make it much easier for you to understand and leverage these programs for the mutual benefit of your company and postgraduate students."
David Hunter, Vice-President, Engineering Academic Research Programs, SAP Business Objects (recently retired)

"Xerox Research Centre Canada sees real value in partnering with NSERC, especially in the areas of student internships and industrial fellowships. This Strategy is a good step forward for NSERC and will make university capabilities even more accessible to businesses driven by innovation. We look forward to our continued work with NSERC and encourage other businesses with R&D requirements to look into NSERC programs."
Hadi Mahabadi, Vice-President, Xerox Research Centre of Canada

"Companies can double or even triple their innovation capacity by taking advantage of postsecondary research resources. I am very encouraged that NSERC has enabled companies of every size – from SMEs to large companies – to access the reservoir of exceptional talent that springs out of Canadian universities, which will help them become more productive, competitive and prosperous."
Pierre Lapointe, President, FPInnovations

"The consultation process helped identify many creative ways for business and academia to know of each other and to work better together. The proposed approaches found within the Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation will help make Canada a more prosperous and productive nation."
Roland Hosein, Vice-President, Environmental Health and Safety,
GE Canada

"R&D partnerships are the lifeblood of innovation. NSERC's new Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation is what Canada needs to help give Canadian business a competitive edge in today's knowledge-based economy and to maintain the long-term viability of this country's innovative sector."
Paul Lucas, President and CEO, GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

"Innovation is the key to Canada's prosperity and productive relationships between universities and industry are necessary for it to reach its full potential. The members of NCDEAS congratulate NSERC for its foresight and leadership in developing new programs and tools that will make this a reality."
Claude Laguë, Elizabeth Cannon, J. Allen Stewart, David Coleman, Cristina Amon, Graham T. Reader, Anthony Vannelli, Members of the National Council of Deans of Engineering and Applied Science Executive Committee

"This strategy maps a way forward that will translate into more SMEs bringing their innovation to the global forefront and enhancing Canada's economic well being."
W.A. Sam Shaw, President and CEO, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

"We are fortunate to have one of the most advanced academic research systems on the planet. Increased R&D partnership with Canada's postsecondary institutions will give Canadian businesses the competitive edge they need to excel in today's global economy."
Tom Traves, President, Dalhousie University

"With this new Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation, NSERC is taking a major step forward in encouraging and facilitating new kinds of partnerships—especially between Canadian universities and the largely untapped potential of Canada's SMEs. By helping to clear away many of the barriers that have blocked productive relationships in the past, SPI is providing the means, support and access that will allow both universities and industry to bring together our different but complementary talents, skills and ideas in a joint effort to build a much more competitive and productive innovation economy in Canada." 
Indira Samarasekera, President, University of Alberta

"Congratulations again on the great directions you are carving out for NSERC."
Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal, McGill University

"On behalf of Université Laval, I am pleased to support NSERC’s Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation: Connect, Collaborate, Prosper. The proposed short- and medium-term tactics are very interesting, and there is no doubt that they will strengthen the links between industry and university research."
Denis Brière, recteur, Université Laval

"The philosophy of this document (Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation) is pragmatic and well aligned with Ryerson's philosophy."
Sheldon Levy, President, Ryerson University

"We look forward to the announcement and to supporting this important initiative. We work a lot with local industry and this suite of programs will help very much. We look forward to announcing our successes as a result."
George Iwama, President and Vice Chancellor, University of Northern British Columbia

"The NSERC Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation promises to be a progressive and positive catalyst for change, change which will mobilize the full Canadian innovation potential."
Rose Goldstein , Vice-President (Research), University of Calgary

"The blueprint paper plays an important role in mobilizing, even more aggressively, the investments to transfer the Government of Canada's considerable investment in university R&D. We welcome especially the pre-emptive approaches recommended in the report, the inclusion of project management costs as eligible investments, the willingness to make more timely responses to ready-to-go projects, the interest in taking on larger projects, and the target to double the number of companies engaged with universities in NSERC partnerships programs in the next five years."
David Johnston, President, University of Waterloo

"Support from NSERC has helped to foster a thriving environment for research at UBC. Our NSERC industry-supported partnerships have played a key role in mobilizing this knowledge beyond the campus and adapting it for use in society. At the national level, NSERC is well positioned to promote a broader conversation between industry and post-secondary researchers across Canada. The new Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation appears to provide a critical strategic focus on nurturing and sustaining these important relationships."
John Hepburn, Vice President Research and International, University of British Columbia

"After familiarizing myself with NSERC’s new Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation, I found that it includes all the links needed for a value creation chain that stretches between our institutions and industrial partners. Your strategy will clearly lead to short-term results, but I believe it is vital for the government to allocate resources for its full implementation without compromising the upstream activities that are well supported by the Council."
Michel Belley, Rector, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

"ETS believes that the solid bridges NSERC is building will help establish a strong synergy between university research and the private sector, generating benefits for Canada and all its citizens."
Yves Beauchamp, Director General, Université du Québec – École de technologie supérieure

"This strategy is a bold step in the direction of taking the fresh ideas of research into the real world."
Katherine Schultz, Vice-President of Research and Development, University of Prince Edward Island

"We're excited by the role NSERC's regional offices will play in this new strategy. As facilitators for creating partnerships between researchers and industry, they play an invaluable role in making real connections in our area, and beyond. This ensures that even small and medium-sized businesses in Atlantic Canada will be able to access academic expertise for real-world results."
Juergen Krause, Associate Professor, University of Prince Edward Island School of Business, and consulting executive, Three Oaks Innovations Inc.