1 presentation to technical research committee canadian home builders’ association in banff,...
TRANSCRIPT
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Presentation to Technical Research Committee
Canadian Home Builders’ Association
in Banff, Alberta
February 23, 2011
Walter Cool
Industrial Research Assistance Program
National Research Council Canada
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NRC-IRAP Overview
• Who we are
• What services we provide
• Who our clients are
• What we do in Construction and Housing
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NRC-IRAPOur Purpose
We support small and medium-sized, for profit, enterprises (SMEs) grow
through technological innovation.
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We assist firms to develop, adopt and adapt technologies and incorporate them into competitive products and services to be commercialized in the
global marketplace
NRC-IRAPWhat we do
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Who Are Our Clients?
NRC-IRAP worked with 8,693 SMEs* in 2009-2010, of which 2,871 received some form of funding.
• 84% have less than 50 employees
• 65% have fewer than 20 employees
NL
352
PE
74
NS
222
NB
377
QC
1936
ON
3037
MB
352
SK
188
AB
954
BC
1201
* small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – Firms with 500 employees or less
* small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – Firms with 500 employees or less
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LEGEND
NRC-IRAP Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA)
NRC-IRAP Regional Office
NRC Institute
NRC Cluster
The ITA Advantage
*ITA – Industrial Technology Advisor
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The IRAP Model
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Financial Contributions
• Innovation projects with SMEs (for profit and less then 500 employees)
• Graduates (younger then 31) working with SMEs (for profit and less then 500 employees)
• Organizations that support innovation with SMEs
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Helping Our Clients Grow Stronger, Faster, Bigger
Recent client surveys show• 91% have increased technical
knowledge and/or capabilities
• 68% increased business knowledge and/or capabilities
• 62% enhanced their ability to conduct R&D
• 61% consider that NRC-IRAP helped develop/improve the firm’s internal business/ marketing/ management
• 63% of clients have indicated that NRC-IRAP helped identify other sources of financing Quantiam Technologies, Edmonton, AB
NRC-IRAP in Construction
• NRC-IRAP supports a large number of construction projects with manufacturers of building products
• NRC-IRAP supports a number of software and communication technologies projects for the construction sector
• NRC-IRAP more recently is supporting projects related to making buildings more sustainable by incorporating a range of innovative technologies and green design principles
• NRC-IRAP has supported a few project with home builders related to automation of manufacturing of building systems
• NRC-IRAP has funded an Industrial Technology Advisor who worked out of the CHBA office in Ottawa
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Innovation Opportunities for Home Builders
• Digital Show Homes
• Computerization of Business Process Management
• Implementation of Building Information Modeling
• Modeling Tools for Net Zero Homes
• Development of Innovative Building Products
• Automation of Production of Building Panels in Plants
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