CARIC receives $30 million in SADI funding to launch national aerospace R&D projects

The Strategic Aerospace Defence Initiative (SADI) is providing $30 million in foundational funding to the recently formed Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC). Industry Canada confirms that SADI is the source of funding for the national consortium — currently co-located with and modelled on the highly successful Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ),

CARIC was officially launched earlier this year (R$, May 7/14) and was waiting for Industry Canada's decision to fund its operations and industry-led projects. They will range from four to six on the TRL (technology readiness level) scale that classifies R&D between pure research and commercialization. The five-year commitment provides for $2 million in annual operational support and $4 million for projects which are expected to leverage at least twice as much from other sources.

The announcement of SADI funding corresponds with the appointment of Dr Denis Faubert as CARIC's inaugural president and CEO, following his recent appointment as president and CEO of CRIAQ (R$, May 7/14) (see page 7).

"We're now preparing our corporate plan and our contribution agreement with Industry Canada and we've travelled to Ontario and British Columbia to shore up support," says Faubert. "We try to be very inclusive. Canada is a small nation and every dollar invested in R&D counts and has an impact."

With funding in place, CARIC will establish regional offices in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia and use CRIAQ facilities for its Quebec node. An Ottawa office will also establish a satellite head office in Ottawa to liaise with Industry Canada.

Efforts to establish a national aerospace R&D consortium have been percolating for at least a decade but the impetus leading to CARIC's formation was the 2012 Aerospace Advisory Council report. It contained far reaching recommendations aimed at enhancing industrial competitiveness amidst a rapidly evolving global environment (R$, December 6/12). Chaired by former Industry minister David Emerson, the report called for SADI's overhaul and the creation of a national initiative for collaboration among aerospace firms, researchers and academics using CRIAQ as a model.

"CRIAQ funds university-based projects prior to demonstration (and) SADI funds large demonstration projects but there are many steps before that. We will work in that domain to help technologies move up the chain," says Faubert.

For the assignment of intellectual property (IP), CARIC is adopting CRIAQ's model of funding universities for lower TRL-level projects and is currently developing models for higher TRL-level projects undertaken by industry. Faubert says CARIC will provide models but won't impose them, allowing industry and its academic partners to decide how best to apportion any resulting IP.

"We hope to achieve a model that all will be comfortable with," he says, adding that seven projects are currently being assessed for potential funding. "The critical success factor will be the involvement of the big players across Canada like Boeing. They can play a magnet role so we need to work very hard to convince them that it's in their interest to participate."

CARIC is also working to establish collaborative relationships with provincial governments — some of which have dedicated aerospace funding — as well as federal laboratories, departments and agencies, particularly the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

NSERC is a key funding participant in most CRIAQ projects and has regional offices across the country. Faubert says its Engage grants program, which supports research partnerships between academic researchers and companies that haven't collaborated before, could be especially helpful.

"It's highly successful and well targeted. A company could start with an Engage grant and graduate to a CARIC project with multiple company partners," he says. "We will leverage other programs and build on relationships between SMEs and universities."

In addition to its close relationship with CRIAQ, CARIC is in discussions with another undisclosed network and is working in conjunction with the Green Aviation R&D Network. GARDN is a Business-Led Network of Centres of Excellence which was recently refunded with a tighter focus (R$, February 10/14).

CARIC will also dedicate up to $4 million for projects launched through the Canadian Networking Aeronautics Project for Europe (CANNAPE). CANNAPE provides funding for companies that are seeking participation in aerospace projects funded through European Union's Horizon 2020 program. Calls for proposals are due in early September.

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