Newfoundland's RDC boosts industry R&D engagement with launch of ArcticTECH

Newfoundland's Research and Development Corp (RDC) has launched its third industry-focused funding program to stimulate R&D in targeted areas of the province's harsh environment. ArcticTECH will provide $5 million over three years for academic- and industry-led R&D projects in natural resources, the province's unique geographical position and ice-related conditions.

The program is modelled on GeoEXPLORE, another RDC program launched last year with funding for research teams, research tools and equipment, collaborative research, post-doctoral research and industry-led R&D, technology development and demonstration projects. That program has already funded 15 projects in the mining and oil and gas sectors.

Academic projects are eligible to receive up to $250,000 while industry-led projects are eligible for up to $500,000. Partner contributions are required and the leverage ratio is determined on a case-by-case basis, with a minimum of 25% expected from industry.

"Harsh environments are part of our culture and experience. ArcticTECH aims for the alignment of institutional capacity, entrepreneurial capacity and large industry that's engaged," says Glenn Janes, RDC's executive director. "All the programming we've done recently has a line-of-sight to market and industry engagement … It's important to recognize the ancillary stuff we do to select and structure the programs. It pays the dividends in the long term."

focus until now largely on infrastructure

Since its inception, RDC has been particularly active on infrastructure development and leveraging its resources with several other organizations. RDC is collaborating and/or co-investing with Look North, a Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, the Centre for Arctic Resource Development (CARD), a $16.5-million initiative launched by C-CORE, and Petroleum Research Newfoundland and Labrador, a industry-member driven not-for-profit organization that funds and facilitates offshore oil and gas R&D.

"RDC is very good at leveraging from the oil and gas industry," says David King, president & CEO of GENESIS Group Inc, the tech transfer arm of Memorial Univ. "In these areas, matching funds from RDC moves things along faster."

RDC is also improving communications and collaboration with Memorial now that its core programs are in place and up and running. RDC adds another dimension of funding to the university, allowing more R&D to occur and opening up opportunities to partner with industry in the province's priority areas of energy/oil and gas, ocean technologies and mining.

"Collaboration is improving as clarity comes to RDC and their maturity in dealing with university researchers ... Where RDC has made investments at Memorial, they have been very important for us," says Dr Ray Gosine, Memorial's associate VP research, adding that there was "a bit of teething on all sides" as the RDC's new programs ramped up. "I'd like to see them have a $50-million budget instead of $25 million and play a broader role with the university ... It is very focused on oceans and energy although it has a much broader mandate. There are other areas I hope they make investments in such as business, the school of nursing and other non-technological areas."

Janes agrees that RDC and industry have the capacity to use more funding, but says the current strategy is to demonstrate both short- and long-term benefits with the resources at hand.

"$25 million is a very good starting point and a vote of confidence. We could do more but we're very fortunate. We have a healthy budget," says Janes. "We need to prove that we can deliver on what we're given. We're in a show-me phase to demonstrate the evidence. It's a constant process."

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