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CRC's Mission

As a federal government research laboratory, it is imperative that the R&D activities of the CRC are aligned with the mandate of its parent department, Industry Canada. CRC must also adhere to the principles stated in The Council of Science and Technology Advisors' report, Building Excellence in Science and Technology (BEST), which identifies four major roles that government laboratories must fulfill. These are¹:

• support for decision making, policy development and regulations
• development and management of standards
• support for public health, safety, environmental and/or defence needs
• enabling economic and social development

In fulfilling these expectations, CRC's primary mission is to be the federal government's centre of excellence for communications R&D, ensuring an independent source of advice for public policy purposes.

Complementary to this primary mission, CRC will also help identify and close the innovation gaps in Canada's communications sector by:

• engaging in industry partnerships
• building technical intelligence
• supporting small and medium-sized high technology enterprises
• working with other research organizations across Canada

CRC's unique position in Canada's communications research infrastructure derives from the fact that it is the only national laboratory with a critical mass of staff, programs, facilities and expertise in the three major technologies that form the basic transport mechanism for information delivery across Canada: radio, satellite and fibre optics. This enables CRC to conduct research activities not only in these areas independently, but also to investigate and understand how they can better operate together to form an efficient seamless communications network.

¹Recommendations on the federal roles in performing science and technology as presented in the report, "Building Excellence in Science and Technology (BEST)," by the Council of Science and Technology Advisors, December 1999.