DND’s research arm tagged to deliver $170-million S&T fund to prepare for future terrorist attacks

The R&D branch of National Defence is the first government organization to test-drive an emerging concept for conducting federal science and technology (S&T) with a new $170-million counter-terrorism fund. The Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI) is a horizontal, multi-sectoral program established under the authority of Defence R&D Canada (DRDC). Its objective is to improve Canada’s ability to respond to terrorist threats by developing and exploiting the combined S&T capabilities of government in conjunction with academia and the private sector.

CRTI will create three distinct project areas (see box next page) with the larger goal of increasing federal S&T capacity along the lines developed under the proposed Federal Innovation Networks of Excellence (FINE) program (R$, November 28/01). The FINE program is modelled on the Networks of Centres of Excellence program, and is being pitched as an effective way to harness S&T capacity in all sectors in areas deemed to be in the national interest.

Projects under CRTI will be selected competitively on an annual basis and must be led by a federal department or agency. The largest of the three areas is focused on longer-term research and technology development that will close gaps in S&T knowledge and capabilities for responding to CBRN threats.

Funding for CRTI was contained in last month’s federal Budget, but the initiative was not explicitly mentioned. Senior federal S&T officials raced to cobble together the program at the behest of the Solicitor General and the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness (OCIPEP), formerly Emergency Preparedness Canada.

A critical assessment of gaps in federal S&T capability was conducted and a report was hastily written to ensure that S&T was included in the government’s massive $7.7-billion investment in national security. The result was a commitment of $170 million over five years, with the possibility of further funding in subsequent years.

“The fund came together very quickly prior to the Budget…The S&T community came together because without a strong S&T element, we could not deal with the long term S&T issues that needed to be addressed,” says DRDC CEO Dr John Leggat. “This is a new initiative and a new mechanism to manage a S&T program and we’ve adopted principles developed under the FINE proposal.”

Leggat notes that the CRTI is a horizontal initiative designed to bring federal laboratories together as a clusters which will then be matched with appropriate S&T capability in other sectors. It is not meant to deal with funding issues related to the DRDC mandate. The laboratory clusters will serve as a response network to CBRN threats charged with building capacity to address the highest risk terrorist attack scenarios.

DRDC TO HOUSE CRTI’S SECRETARIAT

The CRTI project team will be headed up by Dr Bob Walker, who will take a leave of absence from his current role as DG of R&D programs at DRDC. His immediate task will be to establish a full time secretariat, appoint a director, allocate funds to the three project classes and develop criteria for a competitive bidding process. A steering committee composed of representatives from the science-based departments and agencies (SBDAs) and user communities will approve projects that meet the tests of excellence and relevance.

Leggat acknowledges that $170 million over three years will require projects to be prioritized. But he notes that funding in all three project areas can be used to leverage funds from other government sources and sectors, particularly universities.which have received the majority of new government funding in recent years.

“There will probably be more work to do than money available...We can leverage other resources nationally and internationally, especially universities with matching funds and other contributions,” says Leggat.

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