NRC launches engineering program for the Arctic as development accelerates

The National Research Council (NRC) has officially launched a new Arctic Program to develop low-impact technologies to further economic and industrial development of Canada's vast northern regions. The program — recently announced by prime minister Stephen Harper during his annual Arctic sojourn — got underway about one year ago with a budget of $17 million over eight years and aims to leverage another $65 million over its lifespan.

The Arctic Program is one of three launched by NRC's Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering (OCRE) portfolio. The other two — marine vehicles and marine infrastructure, energy and water resources — will have similar budgets. They have yet to be officially unveiled.

"We proposed to senior management how we could contribute to Arctic development which has vast challenges," says OCRE GM Terry Lindstrom. "We're still in the infancy stages and we're talking to major companies that have an interest in the north. We're convinced the critical mass is there. We're getting good leverage within NRC and other departments and it's sufficient to demonstrate to industry partners that we are committed to developing the technologies."

The Arctic Program has four priority areas: resource development; northern transportation and shipping; marine safety technologies; and, community infrastructure.

"We've been in the business for a long time working in areas like ice technologies and community infrastructure so there's lots of IP (intellectual property) and knowledge competencies," says Lindstrom. "Other departments and agencies are active in the north and this is the engineering component."

While some projects are NRC-led, others are administered by other departments such as Natural Resources Canada

Arctic Program leader Anne Barker says NRC's initiatives reinforce the government's role of anticipating challenges, emergencies and disasters that may occur as development in the north accelerates.

"We have to be on top of the game and know the engineering implications," says Barker. "We de-risk research that industry might not be willing to start on their own. It's not difficult to find partners. There's is huge interest, especially for community infrastructure."

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