NRC to create fuel cells institute in Vancouver

The National Research Council’s Vancouver Innovation Centre is being transformed into a full institute for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies after years of intense lobbying (R$, November 29/00). The decision to inject $20 million over five years into the centre was facilitated by the last federal Budget, which provided the NRC with $110 million over three years to fully implement its cluster and regional innovation strategy (R$, December 17/01). The institute will have a national mandate for R&D on fuel cells and manufacturing systems. Industry and policy makers have argued for years that Canada would lose out on the huge potential fuel cells market unless it invested in fuel cells development and “balance of plant” technologies, which comprise 80% of a fuel cells system. The new funding effectively doubles the annual budget of the Innovation Centre, allowing for the hiring of additional scientific and technical staff to boost existing programs in fuel cell testing and demonstration. The institute will also have a role in training of skilled personnel and showcasing Canadian technologies and companies. It will have a close working relationship with individual universities, companies and Fuel Cells Canada, a private-sector led initiative to increase fuel cell demonstration projects. Maja Veljkovic, the Innovation Centre’s DG, becomes DG of the new institute….