Canada has joined the EUREKA program as an associate member and will establish a national office at the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) in Ottawa. The agreement — signed June 22 — comes more than a year after RE$EARCH MONEY reported that advanced discussions were underway for Canada to join the organization, which has 41 members and two associate members (South Korea and Canada) (R$, May 24/11).

Established in 1985, EUREKA is an international network for market-driven industrial R&D that has generated 4,000 projects, €10 billion in public funding, €19 billion in private investment and €93 billion in additional economic activity. In recent years, the program has placed greater emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation with programs designed to fast-track projects and reduce time-to-market.

As an associate member, Canadian firms will be eligible to join three types of R&D projects and consortia provided they secure their own funding. IRAP will provide funding "where appropriate". When NRC was negotiating EUREKA membership last year, it was unclear where funding support would come from. Now that IRAP's budget has been doubled, it should have adequate resources to support Canadian participation. The NRC declined to provide information, on funding, stating that it was "premature".

EUREKA offers participation in individual, cluster and Eurostar projects; the latter intended for smaller, short-term projects in which the consortium leader is an R&D-performing smaller firm.

"Once a project is approved, the internationally recognized EUREKA label adds value by endowing participants with a competitive edge in their dealings with financial, technical and commercial partners," states the NRC press release.

This is the third time Canada has attempted to join EUREKA. In the late 1980s, Canada launched the Technology Opportunities in Europe Program and provided $20 million in funding. The program floundered, however, when there was insufficient uptake from the private sector. A second attempt to join EUREKA was abandoned in the late 1990s when negotiations collapsed over the fee structure imposed on non-contiguous nations.

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