News from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research

A new ITA at OTT

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has recently chosen to create a new position at OTT with the presence of an industrial technology advisor (ITA) for McGill's central campus as part of the NRC's industrial research assistance program (IRAP). The goal of the ITA is to stimulate innovation in Canadian SMEs by providing assistance and services designed to enhance the innovation capability of the SMEs.

As you may know, we already have an ITA at Macdonald Campus, with Pamela Presley, who just joined as well. Thus, it is a pleasure for us to welcome Katya Marc as our new ITA who will be based at 3550 University and whose phone number is 398-5858. Mrs. Marc has a B. Eng. an M.Sc. in chemical engineering from McGill University, and has completed the first year of an MBA.

She gained wide industrial exposure while working for the Polymer Division of the Eastman Chemical Co. in the USA and as start-up field engineer for a new Malaysian facility. She was also marketing representative for Eastman Chemical Canada in Quebec. Mrs. Marc will contribute to a closer relationship between McGill and SMEs, particularly in engineering, bio-engineering and health sciences.

A pilot project catering to the chemical industry

McGill has been sponsored by MICST, recently renamed the "Ministère de l'industrie et du commerce," to coordinate a project aimed at raising awareness of technology, science and the need for engineers and chemists in the Quebec chemical industry, a very diversified and specialized sector that includes inks, paints, cosmetics, aromatics, lubricants and industrial products. There are about 450 enterprises in this sector in Quebec, many SMEs. The project focused on 40 of them. Among the observations gathered during these in-depth interviews and subsequent consulting sessions, the perception in industry is that there is a lack of real training at a high enough level to be pertinent to industry and that, as a result, many jobs are sourced out of the country. It is widely held among SMEs that little or no expertise is available within our universities, but they would welcome the creation of critical masses of relevant technical expertise.

An opportunity exists therefore for the future. The challenge is to respond to the doubts about whether specific industrial issues could be solved by a university researcher. In fact, if they cannot, how can we expect that graduating students could do so?

The difficulty, explains Alex Navarre, OTT Director, is to establish a bridge between our talents and the industrial requirements. OTT, particularly with the recent venue of an ITA, Katya Marc, in its premises would be an excellent first point of entry for such requests. Mark Hollingworth is also an excellent contact, at the Faculty of Engineering. Thus, despite the perceptions, let's focus on the opportunities.

Some programs you may find useful

With respect to sponsored research with industry, a number of programs exist. The Technology Partnership Program (TPP) is one of the most accessible and funding has been renewed for another three years by NSERC.

This program aims at developing technology and transferring it to industry over a period of up to three years. It requires industry participation in the financing and a business plan. It is advisable to ensure that intellectual property clauses are worked out between the industry and the university prior to submitting an application to NSERC. OTT will help you in this respect or you also can get information directly at (613) 996-4993.

As we encounter more and more contracts with SMEs or even McGill spin-offs, the Industry Research Assistance Program (IRAP) can become an important vehicle to develop the technology to the point of a prototype or beyond. You may, in the course of a sponsored research project, be involved with an IRAP-financed project, although IRAP is granted to industry and not to researchers.

Space science is also a wide field that does not only cover telecommunications or engine propulsion. It is now the site of a wide array of experiments. Thus, for those interested in space science programs, a special presentation will soon take place on campus.

Contact Sam Morielli from OTT at 398-3355 for further details. This presentation will also include presentations by PRECARN and IMS. These are programs aimed at developing information technology applications in different fields. Such programs provide considerable opportunities for developing new technologies and sponsorship of your research by industry.

Finally, the biggest research incentive program available to all is the tax credits system. Tax credits will reduce the cost of research to a fraction of the actual research expenditure, depending on the size of the sponsor.

It is enhanced by 20 per cent when research is performed in a university. Thus, in negotiating a research contract, the effect of indirect costs (40 per cent) is more than offset by these other considerations.

Remember that research sponsors look for quality of the work according to the project outline and methodology, delivery on time and confidentiality. They know that if they can find these ingredients, the after-tax cost of research performed at the university is far less than elsewhere, including their own premises.