The National Research Council (NRC) is expanding its roster of VPs as it responds to the impact of retirement and an increasing workload within the executive ranks. Advertisements went out late last year for two new VP positions, which will bring the number of VPs to three, up from the current two.

The decision to enhance its executive team coincides with an expansion of the NRC’s role within the Canadian system of innovation and the retirement of Jacques Lyrette, who left the organization November 30. Lyrette was VP technology and industry support, a portfolio that included the increasingly important Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP), the Canadian Technology Network and the Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI). Prior to joining the NRC in 1996, Lyrette was president of both the Communications Research Centre and the Centre for Information Technology Innovation (R$, November 29/95). Replacing Lyrette on an interim basis is Dr William Wallace, former DG of the Institute for Aerospace Research, who had recently retired and was within one day of leaving the NRC.

The job descriptions of the new VPs haven’t been finalized yet, but they will generally oversee the areas of engineering and innovation. Historically, the number of NRC VPs has varied dramatically, from just one to as many as seven.

“We’ve done pretty well managing with two VPs but it has been a struggle because of the size of the organization and the dispersal of institutes across the country,” says NRC president Dr Arthur Carty. “A big part of the job is just doing the travelling. The workload is becoming untenable.”

“The workload for two VPs is very high. We’re looking for two people who will best fit into the executive team we have which is Peter (Hackett) and myself,” adds Carty. “Then we will determine their exact responsibilities or portfolios of institutes they look after. It will depend on what happens to the NRC over the next few months. The Budget is coming up.”

The NRC is seeking new funding for IRAP and for its cluster and community innovation strategy. The last Budget provided NRC with $110 million to launch the cluster strategy but nothing for IRAP which is seeking to expand its role nationally and internationally.

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