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CRC's Strategic Goals

Based on its mission, the objectives of Industry Canada and the environment in which the lab exists, CRC has identified two main goals to guide its research through the upcoming years.

Goal 1: Innovation Leadership

CRC will continue to develop its core competencies in the telecommunications field to maintain a high degree of expertise and knowledge needed to respond to and drive advancements in science and engineering in Canada.

In order for CRC to continue to perform its mission and achieve its strategic goals, a significant portion of its effort must be devoted to longer term R&D. It is through longer-term R&D that CRC maintains and increases its reputation as the federal government's center of expertise in communications technology, and generates new intellectual property (IP). It is fundamental that CRC continues to be recognized by its peers, nationally and internationally, for its excellence in research. As one measure of success, CRC ranks among the top federal laboratories in North America for IP revenues resulting from licensing and technology transfer.

At its foremost, CRC is a wireless laboratory and, on the recommendation of its CRC Advisory Council, will endeavor to devote some 80 per cent of its base R&D resources to this communications area. CRC has established and maintains a very unique Canadian R&D capability in a number of wireless communications disciplines, including satellite communications, radio propagation, wireless access and digital broadcast technology. Complementing this is a strong research program in optical communications based on photonics technologies.

CRC's core expertise, as well as its major ongoing and future investments in staff and facilities, can be grouped into the following main areas:

• wireless systems
• communications networks
• radio fundamentals
• interactive multimedia
• photonics

CRC believes that these five areas provide a strong base of expertise to undertake leading-edge R&D activities to meet its clients' needs and to support the federal government's mission to ensure delivery of high-quality communications services to all Canadians, regardless of location.

Wireless systems R&D involves the investigation of hardware components, technologies, and systems for reliable, robust and high capacity fixed, mobile, personal and broadcast communications, as well as technologies and subsystems for existing and emerging satellite networks. CRC is Canada's leading laboratory for satellite communications and broadcasting research.

Communications networks R&D involves the study and development of advanced network protocols with emphasis on interconnectivity and interoperability among various wired and wireless systems, the efficiency and reliability of communications over wireless links, and standards. CRC will continue to expand its R&D activity related to network security and infrastructure, aspects of critical interest to CRC's major client, DND.

Radio fundamentals research involves the study of radiowave propagation phenomena and their influence on wireless communications; as well as electromagnetic compatibility and the effects of fields on communications, electronic and electrical equipment. This area also involves investigation of antenna theories and techniques to improve the performance of existing and next generation wireless systems and the development of techniques and tools for spectrum surveillance.

Interactive multimedia R&D involves investigation of technologies related to the convergence of communications, computer and broadcast networks as they merge into a single web of communication links and services. It also deals with technologies to format information content to adapt to network constraints and meet varying end-user requirements. The activity includes the conduct of applications trials and demonstrations that show the full potential of multimedia-based communications for the end-user community.

Photonics R&D involves investigation into all-optical solutions for the cost-effective delivery of broadband services to the individual, component technologies required to achieve interoperability between wireless and fiber-optic networks, and optical/wireless subsystem components.

Investment in these areas is key to maintaining excellence, generating intellectual property for technology transfer, establishing new partnerships and collaboration across Canada, and enhancing CRC's national presence. In particular, this provides much of the technology base for all client-related activities.

Goal 2: Client Support

CRC's client base includes federal government departments and agencies, Canadian industries and academic institutions that have an interest in a variety of technologies and issues related to telecommunications. In many cases, these stakeholders interact with each other through consortia, working groups and other alliances to exchange information and work together on specific topics. The Canadian broadcasting industry, in particular, has no domestic research capability other than CRC with whom to interact and obtain valuable insight and technical information. CRC is an active participant in many such consortia and continues to be instrumental in forming new alliances in Canada.

A very important and critical part of CRC's R&D work is performed on a cost-recovery basis on behalf of three major clients: Industry Canada, DND and the Canadian Space Agency. In addition, work is done in partnership with other federal departments and agencies. Since the majority of CRC's budget comes from government clients, it is important that these relationships are nurtured and that the organization remains in a position to respond to their future requirements. To diminish the risk of losing a major client, CRC must maintain an ongoing dialogue with its major stakeholders on several fronts (technical, operational and political) as well as a proper investment in those areas that are anticipated hot topics.

Opportunities also exist to build relationships with new government clients and focused efforts will be made to do so. In particular, the government will be looking at these future horizontal relationships as a way to increase the return on its research dollar investment.

The CRC provides S&T advice, often on an as-needed basis, to the Spectrum Regulatory and Policy Branches and, in particular, to the Spectrum Engineering Branch, the Information Highway Advisory Branch (especially through the BRAND Program - Broadband for Rural And Northern Development), Technology Partnerships Canada, CANARIE's program and other branches of Industry Canada that have responsibility for communications policy and regulatory decision making. A key to CRC's support is the on-going Spectrum Research Program for which Industry Canada provides seed funding. Carrying out this program draws on the underlying expertise and knowledge that CRC gains through internally funded, longer-term research endeavors. The R&D covered by the program includes topics related to terrestrial wireless, fixed and mobile satellite services, broadcasting services, electromagnetic compatibility, and telecommunications standards. CRC also acts as the main focal point for all international S&T initiatives in the ICT Sector. The priorities for R&D under this program are jointly determined by CRC and Industry Canada.

The Defence Communications R&D Program is an ongoing cost-recoverable program in which CRC conducts R&D on behalf of Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between DND and Industry Canada. CRC receives some 25 per cent of its R&D resources from this arrangement. The overall mission of the program is to provide improved operational capability in the Canadian Forces (CF), and to maintain scientific knowledge and expertise in wireless communications to assist DND and the CF in decision-making. The program is formulated each year under DRDC's business planning process in collaboration with DND and CF clients. The current program includes projects spanning communication layers from physical, through network to application, and addresses growing military requirements in network-centric operations for communications interoperability, increased information flow, and effective mobile communications in complex environments. The R&D is complementary to the CRC research program and, as such, the synergism benefits both CRC and DND.

Recognized as the federal government's center of expertise in satellite communications, CRC has a long-standing partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Along with its A-base supported R&D program in satellite communications, CRC assists the CSA in fulfilling the objectives of the Satellite Communications Program within the Canadian Space Plan. This assistance helps to maintain or increase Canadian industry's share of the worldwide market for satellite communications and to ensure that Canadians have access to the world's most advanced satellite communications technologies. For major domestic satellite communications programs funded by CSA, CRC performs the important functions of program management and scientific authority on a cost-recovery basis.

As the federal government's primary telecommunications research laboratory, CRC is in a good position to assist or partner with other departments and agencies on communications issues. For example, CRC is working with the National Research Council on e-learning applications over broadband networks, and both organizations are together cultivating productive relationships with Library and Archives Canada and the National Arts Centre to get culturally-rich content online. CRC is also working with a federal community of interest on technologies related to network security. It should be possible to increase the number of interdepartmental collaborations, particularly as these organizations attempt greater use of broadband technologies to deliver content and services to their respective clients.