While R&D is at the heart of the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC), it is bringing technology research to the marketplace that allows CRC to offer hands-on assistance to Canada’s communications industry.

This year, a research group at CRC is being honored for their exemplary achievements in technology transfer. CRC’s Advanced Radio Systems Group received an “Excellence in Technology Transfer Award” from the Federal Partners in Technology Transfer (FPTT), for its contribution to Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. This award recognizes the transfer of technology from a federal laboratory to a commercial application, resulting in significant public good or economic impact.

Since 1999, CRC’s Advanced Radio Systems Group has been working on the development of SDR, a software solution to resolve long-standing interoperability issues between radio systems. Using simple software downloads, a radio can be reprogrammed to operate on different communications protocols and frequency bands, as required by the situation. The technology is beneficial in times of communications failure, such as during a natural disaster. During a military operation, SDR can be employed to bring together people from different organizations. It also has applications for commercial use, to adapt a single hardware device to a multiplicity of radio protocols.

In addition to resolving interoperability problems, the Software Communications Architecture Core Framework (SCARI Software Suite) developed by CRC also speeds up development cycles and reduces integration costs of radio systems. Initially developed to help start-up companies progress rapidly into SDR development and to support the opening of new markets to existing companies, the SCARI Suite has now been licensed to 14 major companies around the world. This has generated over $600,000 in revenues for CRC in 2005-2006. The SCARI Suite allows third-party companies to provide radio integrators with software and hardware components that are compatible with one another. It can be likened to the concept of a personal computer – performing multiple tasks simply by executing a different program – applied within the radio industry.

Canada’s pre-eminent scientists and technology transfer experts gathered at an Ottawa hotel on June 1 for the FPPT Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner 2006. Since establishing its annual awards program in 1998, FPTT has honored 45 teams and individuals who have developed and transferred a wide array of technologies. These technologies have created jobs, generated wealth and contributed to the general well-being of Canadians.

CRC’s Advanced Radio Systems Group was recognized by the Federal Partners in Technology Transfer (FPTT) for their work with Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology.

*For more information about CRC’s work with Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology, please contact Claude Bélisle at claude.belisle@crc.gc.ca or visit our Web site at www.crc.gc.ca/sdr. For more information about the Federal Partners in Technology Transfer (FPTT), visit http://www.fptt-pftt.gc.ca/.