Day-to-day administration of the NCE centres and networks is provided by the Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat. The Secretariat runs periodic national competitive processes through which successful applicants are chosen on the advice of a number of panels and boards. In the case of the Networks of Centres of Excellence program, applications are reviewed by an expert panel, a Selection Committee and a Steering Committee. Applications for the CECR and BL-NCE programs are reviewed by an expert panel, the Private Sector Advisory Board and the Steering Committee.

The NCE programs are overseen by a tri-agency NCE Steering Committee made up of the Deputy Minister of Industry and Health (or delegate), the Presidents of the three granting agencies and the President of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) (as an observer).

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Steering Committee
The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Management Committee
The Private Sector Advisory Board (PSAB)
The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Standing Selection Committee
The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Monitoring Committee

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Steering Committee

The NCE programs are overseen by a tri-agency NCE Steering Committee made up of the Deputy Minister of Industry and Health (or delegate), the presidents of the three granting agencies, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the president of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) (as an observer).

NCE Steering Committee Members

Dr. Alain Beaudet (Acting Chair)

President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Dr. Chad Gaffield

President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

Janet Walden

Acting President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

John Knubley

Deputy Minister
Industry Canada

Glenda Yeates

Deputy Minister
Health Canada

Dr. Gilles Patry

(non-voting ex-officio member)
President and CEO
Canada Foundation for Innovation

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Management Committee

The NCE Management Committee is a coordinating mechanism composed of a representative at the vice-president director general level from each of the three granting councils and Industry Canada, as well as the associate vice-president of the NCE program and the Associate Vice-President, Corporate Planning and Policy Division at NSERC.

It is chaired by the NSERC vice-president of the Research Partnerships Program. The NCE Management Committee oversees the operation and coordination of the program administration, communications and evaluation functions. The Committee reports to the NCE Steering Committee and refers policy matters, and those administrative issues in which there is no consensus, to the NCE Steering Committee.

Management Committee Members

Pierre Charest (Acting Chair)

Associate Vice-President, Corporate Planning and Policy Division, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

Jane Aubin

Executive Vice-President, Chief Scientific Officer, and Vice-President, Research and Knowledge Translation Portfolio (CIHR)

Brent Herbert-Copley

Vice-President, Research Capacity, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

André Isabelle

Associate Vice-President of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE)

Shane Williamson

Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Industry Canada

The Private Sector Advisory Board (PSAB)

The Private Sector Advisory Board (PSAB) is a body of trusted, seasoned, strategic industry advisors comprised of respected Canadian industry leaders. PSAB was established by the Networks of Centres of Excellence by request of the Government of Canada in 2007.

PSAB provides the NCE Steering Committee with expert advice and recommendations during the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) and Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE) competition processes. PSAB evaluates proposals based on their ability to create a strategic, long-term economic advantage for Canada.

Private Sector Advisory Board Members

(Chair) Nancy Hughes Anthony is a seasoned professional with a varied career. Nancy Hughes Anthony was from 2007 to 2011 President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Bankers Association. In this capacity, she was the principal advocate for the banking industry in Canada and contributed to the development of public policy on financial services. During her career, she gained senior experience in the federal and provincial governments as well as the private sector, having served as a federal deputy minister, a senior advisor to the government of Prince Edward Island and as a corporate vice-president. Ms. Hughes Anthony has served on the boards of a number of public and private organizations and is one of the first graduates of the Directors Education Program from the Corporate Governance College, created by the Institute of Corporate Directors in partnership with the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Ms. Hughes Anthony is also a member of the Distinguished Advisory Council of The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. She has received the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award, has been selected several times by the National Post as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Business Women in Canada and ranked as one of the 100 most influential people in Ottawa by The Hill Times newspaper. The Montreal-born Ms. Hughes Anthony graduated from McGill University with a bachelor of arts degree in English and German. She has lived and worked in Germany and Mexico and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

(Vice-Chair) Adam Chowaniec joined the board of Startup Canada in January 2012. He is also chairman of the board of directors of BelAir Networks Corporation, and a director of Solantro Semiconductor. He is the past chair of the Information Technology Association of Canada board of directors. He chaired the Ontario Research and Innovation Council from 2006 to 2009. He was also appointed to the board of the Export Development Corporation of Canada by the Privy Council of Canada in 2009, and currently serves as the Chair of the Risk Committee. Adam has been recognized for his leadership, business excellence and innovation. In 1998, the Ottawa-Carleton Research Institute awarded him with its prestigious Chairman's Award. Also in 1999, he received the Gold Business Person of the Year award from the Ottawa Board of Trade. Adam holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from Queen's University (Canada), as well as both a Bachelor of Engineering and a PhD from the University of Sheffield (England). His affiliations include the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario.

Sue Abu-Hakima is Co-founder and President/CEO of her second start-up, Amika Mobile Corporation, launched in 2007. Sue holds a Bachelor of Engineering from McGill University and master’s and doctorate degrees from Carleton University, specializing in artificial intelligence (AI). Sue is an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students in AI. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Centres of Excellence and is the Chair of the Board of Management for the Centre of Excellence for Communications and Information Technology. She is also on the Executive Board of the Ottawa Software Cluster created by Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation. In 2003, she was one of the contributors to the Prime Minister's Task Force on Women Entrepreneurs. Sue holds 19 international patents in messaging and content analysis (and has a 20th pending). As many as 27 global companies have cited her pioneering patents. She has published and presented over 100 papers. Sue was invested in January 2011, by the Honourable David C. Onley Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, of the Order of Ontario.

Luis Barreto has 30 years of experience in academia, public health and industry. Dr Barreto is currently the President of the consultancy Dr Luis Barreto and Associates. He is the former Vice-President of Clinical and Medical Affairs and Vice-President of Immunization and Science Policy at Sanofi Pasteur where he spent more than 23 years in research and development, leading clinical trials and shaping immunization policy in Canada and around the world. He led the clinical development and commercialization of many vaccines, including technologies such as acellular pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b and polio combinations for children, adolescents and adults. These vaccines bring over a billion dollars yearly in sales back to the Canadian economy and reduce disease and death around the world. He has been an influential member of the Canadian vaccine landscape for over 25 years. He has published extensively on History of Vaccine Development and Canada’s contribution to global control of Small Pox and Polio as well as Clinical Trials and Immunisation Policy.Dr. Barreto has been part of the Canadian pandemic influenza vaccine scientific advisory groups led by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Infection and Immunity, and the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada . He has also been part of Health Canada’s Policy Advisory Committee Dr Barreto is a member of various boards including Research Canada, PREVENT, VIDO/InterVac (ex-Chair). InterVac is a $140 millionm 150,000 sq ft animal/human vaccine facility opened September 2011 in Saskatchewan. Dr Barreto is a member of the Board of the International Consortium of Antivirals. He has also been appointed as the member of the Policy and Public Support working group of the Decade of Vaccines of the Gates Foundation, Senior Advisor to the National Research, Canada ,Vaccine Group and Biosciences Education Canada. Dr. Barreto spends considerable time in philanthropic activities with organizations like Health Partners International and Non-Governmental Organizations. He has been recently appointed to the Board of the March of Dimes.Dr Barreto completed his M.B.B.S and M.D. in Community Medicine in India and M.H.Sc in Community Health and Epidemiology at University of Toronto. He is married to Lorraine and has two boys Rohit and Rahul.

Cédric Bisson is venture partner in charge of healthcare and life sciences investments at Teralys Capital Inc., Canada’s largest technology fund of funds. Prior to joining Teralys Capital, Mr. Bisson was the managing partner in life sciences at iNovia Capital, an entrepreneurial venture capital firm where he focused on biopharmaceuticals and medical devices. He also held the position of associate principal at McKinsey & Company, a leading global management consulting firm, where he co-led the Canadian healthcare practice and pursued extensive professional activities in Montréal, New York City and Paris. Mr. Bisson currently serves on the boards of Milestone Pharmaceuticals (specialty cardiovascular drugs), Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals (ophthalmic drugs), BaroSense (bariatric surgery devices), BIOQuébec (Québec’s life sciences industry association), Procure (a charity fighting prostate cancer) and the Montréal Biennale of Art. Mr. Bisson obtained an MD degree from McGill University and a JD (law) degree from Université de Montréal.

Alan Burgess is the past Chief Executive Officer and Director of Northwest Mettech, the leader in highly controlled plasma spray coating solutions that meet the quality and production needs of the aerospace, automotive, pulp and paper, energy and electronics industries. Alan brings a strong engineering and business background to product development and materials engineering. He founded Mettech and remained president until 2010. Through this period, Alan was involved in product development, applications engineering and customer service. Most recently, he lead sales and was part of the financing activities for Mettech. Alan has a BASc in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. Alan is a Board Member of Nanotech BC and is the Scholarships and Awards Chairman for the International Thermal Spray Association.

Karen Clarke-Whistler, Chief Environment Officer for TD Bank Financial Group is responsible for developing and implementing an environmental strategy that meets TD’s stated goal of becoming the environmental leader in the banking industry in North America. A respected environmental scientist, prior to joining TD Karen worked as an environmental consultant on projects around the globe relating to sustainable development of the natural resource and energy sectors. She has consulted extensively to global banks and is published on a range of topics relating to sustainable development and corporate responsibility.

Pierre Delagrave is President of Cossette Media. He has been with Cossette since 1975 and is the founder of several business units within the organization. In particular, he built Cossette Media and Fjord Interactive Marketing and Technology, both of which he leads as President. In 2006, he published Erase Everything and Start Over! which includes his observations about how “the consumer is in control” in this exciting digital time, as well as his vision for the future. He founded, and is on the Board of Directors of, Conseil des Directeurs Médias du Québec. He has also sat on the Boards of the Canadian Outdoor Measurement Bureau, Nadbank, BBM Surveys and Centre d’études des médias. He is Vice-Chairman of Columbus Media International, an international network of media independents. Pierre Delagrave holds a bachelor’s degree in administration (with a specialization in marketing and finance) from Université Laval.

Paul Dottori is Vice-President, Energy, Environment and Technology, for Tembec Enterprises, Inc. A native of Timmins, Ontario, Paul Dottori has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto. He joined Tembec in 1987, and over the course of his 20-year career has worked in roles of increasing accountability in the areas of engineering, project management, maintenance, construction, purchasing and operations. In 2000, Mr. Dottori was promoted to a corporate role supporting major projects, engineering, and merger and acquisition activities. He was appointed Vice-President, Energy, Environment and Technology, with Tembec’s corporate group in October 2006. Paul is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario and the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec. He is a past Board Director of the Industrial Gas Users Association. He continues to be actively involved with committees and industry associations focused on solutions within the electricity and energy sectors. He brings extensive experience and knowledge in energy and environmental operations and management, and in relations between government and First Nations.

Robert A. Gordon has spent over forty years in the Public Education Sector. He has served as President of Dawson College in Montréal and President of Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Toronto. Mr. Gordon holds graduate degrees from Bishop's University, Harvard and the University of Massachusetts, and honorary degrees from Bishop's University and the Universities of New Brunswick, Guelph and Toronto. He has served as President of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, President and Chair of the Board of Canada Basketball and served on the Premier's Council of Ontario, where he chaired the Ontario Technology Fund. Currently, Mr. Gordon is President and Chair of the Corporation of Bishop's University and Leader-in-Residence of the Council for Emerging Leaders of the Conference Board of Canada.

Raymond Leduc leads IBM’s largest semiconductor assembly and test site, which produces microelectronic components for all of IBM's leading products and the microprocessor components for the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft's XBox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3. Raymond joined IBM in 1981. He has held various management positions in the engineering and finance departments before being named Director of the Bromont plant in April 2003. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Business Administration from McGill University.

Donald Lush is president of Environmental Bio-detection Products Inc. (EBPI), a company located in Mississauga, Ontario. EBPI develops and manufactures a range of biologically-based testing kits for evaluation of toxicity of contaminants in environmental media and the evaluation of genotoxicity and mutagenicity of individual chemicals and environmental samples. During his 30 years in the environmental consulting business, he has served in both a technical and management and advisory role as founder, president and chairman of a number of environmental and technology focused companies in Canada, the U.S.A. and Europe. He spent most of his consulting career with Beak International as a senior principal and board member, and acted as Chairman of its Board of Directors for 15 years. He is also Chairman of the Board of Microbial Insights (MI), a company located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Kevin O’Brien Fehr is a pharmacologist managing since 1992 basic research and genetics studies conducted in Canadian companies and universities on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline. She has extensive contacts in the academic and biotechnology communities throughout the country and is actively working to attract funding from GlaxoSmithKline’s international sources for the support of Canadian researchers. She serves in an advisory capacity on several Boards of Directors, including the AllerGen Network of Centres of Excellence and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. After working for ten years at the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario as a scientist and educator, she joined the staff of the Medical Liaison Service of Sandoz Canada. There, she spent five years acting as an interface between the company and the Canadian medical research community in the areas of psychiatry and neurology.

Avi Pollock serves as Vice President Innovation & Strategic Planning for RBC. He represents the Technology & Operations (T&O) organization as the platform strategist and has accountability for supporting the RBC’s Chief Information and Operations Officer in developing, driving and communicating the T&O organization’s mandate, priorities, operating model, and strategic plan.He has direct responsibility for providing business communications and business architecture services for T&O, business reporting and benchmarking, and driving the enterprise Digital Social Collaboration Program. His innovation team has an enterprise-wide mandate to stimulate innovative activity by identifying and validating emerging technologies and opportunities that have the potential to drive client value and differentiate RBC from its competitors. He is a member of the senior executive team that operates Technology and Operations and is a frequent speaker on Innovation as well as mobile and social media strategies.Prior to joining RBC, Avi provided interim executive management services in sales, business operations, and acquisition strategy to technology companies in start-up and growth phases. He previously held the position of EVP, Professional Services for a TSX-listed technology company. Avi currently serves as Industry Chair on the Board of the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre, a non-profit focused on developing Ontario's role in the mobile economy. He has served on the Advisory Board for Change Inc. a collaboration between United Way of York Region and York University to incubate and invest in promising innovations to tackle complex social issues in York Region. He has served for more than 8 years on the Loan Review Committee for the Canadian Youth Business Foundation which provides loans to young entrepreneurs. He is Adjunct Faculty for the Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation at Ontario College of Art. Avi has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from University of Western Ontario, is a graduate of the joint LLB-MBA program at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business and is a member of the New York State Bar Association. Avi resides in Toronto, Canada with his wife and two sons.

David G. Ross is President of Langara College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dr. Ross brings close to 25 years of higher education leadership experience at the University of New Brunswick and various positions at Kwantlen Polytechnic University including Vice-President, Administration and Student Services; Chief Financial Officer; Associate Vice-President, Advancement and External Relations; and Undergraduate Chair, School of Business. Dr. Ross has a strong background in marketing and public relations, which includes teaching experience in leadership, marketing, and entrepreneurship. His scholarly activity includes numerous works on topics such as enrolment management, institutional branding, media relations and the development of baccalaureate programs in a traditional two-year setting. In British Columbia, Dr. Ross is Chair of the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association of British Columbia, Chair of British Columbia Colleges Association and a Board Governor of the Business Council of British Columbia. Nationally he is a Board Member of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada Advisory Board. He also sits internationally on the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Communications and Marketing and is Vice-Chair of the College Baccalaureate Association. Dr. Ross was also President and Board Chair of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations and Chair of the Regional Cultural Diversity Council. His educational background includes: PhD (University of Nebraska); MAQ (Simon Fraser University); MBA and BSc (Dalhousie University).

Keith Stoodley is Senior Vice-President of Marketing with the Provincial Aerospace Group of Companies. Specializing in fixed-wing, aircraft-based maritime surveillance modifications and operations, Mr. Stoodley obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia and has completed the Rockefeller Foundation sponsored Leadership in Environment and Development program. He is the sitting Chairperson of a public-private partnership focused on the development of the ocean industry cluster in Newfoundland and Labrador. Prior to 2005, Keith was Vice-President and Director of Oceans with the Lotek Group of Companies. Under Keith’s stewardship, Lotek received the Newfoundland and Labrador Exporter of the Year Award in 2001, Canada Exporter Awards in 2002 and 2003, and the National Research Council’s Innovation Award in 2004. He has served as a director and a member of the Newfoundland Environmental Industry Association, the Environmental Export Council of the Canadian Environmental Industry Association, the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation Council, Newfoundland and Labradors’ Irish Business Partnership, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador’s (MUN) Genesis Centre, MUN’s International Business Advisory Council and the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Standing Selection Committee

The NCE Standing Selection Committee is composed of international calibre experts with broad, multidisciplinary and multisectoral expertise, representing the domains of the three federal granting agencies, as well as the diversity of current government priority sectors. NCE Standing Selection Committee members are appointed by, and make recommendations to, the NCE Steering Committee.

The NCE Standing Selection Committee reviews Letters of Intent (LOIs) and provides recommendations to the NCE Steering Committee regarding the LOIs recommended to advance to the full application stage of the competition. At the full application stage, an Expert Panel may also be used to assess the excellence of an application. The NCE Standing Selection Committee also reviews the full applications, and considers any additional review reports produced by the Expert Panel. The Committee provides funding recommendations to the NCE Steering Committee.

Standing Selection Committee Members

(Chair) Peter Nicholson was the inaugural president of the Council of Canadian Academies from February, 2006 through December, 2009. The Council supports expert panels that assess the science that is relevant to issues of public importance. From 2003 to 2006, Dr. Nicholson was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. Prior to that, he was Special Advisor to the Secretary-general of the OECD. Dr. Nicholson’s varied career has included senior executive positions in the banking and telecommunications and fisheries industries, as well as a number of public service positions including Clifford Clark Visiting Economist with Finance Canada (1994-95). His career began in the faculty of computer science at the University of Minnesota following degrees in physics (Dalhousie) and operations research (Stanford). Dr. Nicholson is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Jane Barratt is the Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing comprising government and non government members in 62 countries and representing some 50 million older people. She brings to this position over 35 years experience in both public and private sectors in the fields of public health, community and aged care, and ageing and disability. Dr Barratt has strived to strengthen the roles and relationships between government, NGOs, academia and the private sector in order to help shape and influence policy to improve the quality of life of older people. She is a strong contributor to the international dialogue on the intersection of social, cultural and physical environments that impact on the lives of older people. Dr Barratt is a Churchill Fellow, representative of the IFA at the United Nations Economic and Social Council and directly responsible for the formal relations with the Ageing and Life Course Department, World Health Organization. She holds adjunct academic positions, executive positions on ministerial, government and non-government committees and the corporate sectors internationally and has many years of experience in organizational management, staff development and the analysis of operations leading to improvements in policies, programs and client outcomes in the areas of health, ageing and disability.

Chris Bissell graduated from Cambridge University in 1974. He joined the UK’s Open University in 1980, obtained his PhD there in 1993 and has contributed to the following distance learning courses: T102 Living with Technology, T175 Networked Living, T291/2 Instrumentation, TM222 The Digital Computer, TM282 Modelling with Mathematics, T293 Communicating Technology, T322 Digital Telecommunications, T326 Electronic Signal Processing, T394 Control Engineering, T395 Mechatronics, T401 Technology Project, TM4XX IT & Computing Project, PT628 Digital Telecommunications: Switching, PT629 Digital Telecommunications: Transmission, T820 Telecommunications - Switching, T305 Digital Communications, T529 ICT CD-ROM, T822/3 Multi-Service Networks, DA204 Understanding Media, T324 Keeping Ahead in ICT, T325 Technologies for Digital Media, T455 ICT Project. His research interests include the history of technology; social/political aspects of technology; engineering education; mathematical modeling.

Klaus Bock has a Master degree in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Demark (1968) and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the same University (1970). He was employed as associate professor in organic chemistry at the Technical University of Denmark from 1970 to 1988. From 1988 he was appointed head and professor of the Chemistry Department of the Carlsberg Laboratory, from 1992 Head of Research at Carlsberg Research Centre on from 2001 to 2007 Executive Vice President for Research of Carlsberg A/S. He has published 260 papers in international journals with referee within the area of analytical and synthetic carbohydrate chemistry with special emphasis of the application of NMR spectroscopy in structural studies of carbohydrate derivatives and their interaction with enzymes. Latest interests focused on protein-carbohydrate interactions, particularly the synthesis and structural analysis of glycopeptides. From 2004 chairman of the Danish National Research Foundation, from 2005 deputy chairman of the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation and President of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences 2009-2011.

Bill Borland is Vice President, Canadian Federal Programs with AMEC Earth and Environmental in Saint John, New Brunswick. He has held senior environmental management positions with J.D. Irving, Limited (1989-2007) and NB Power (1980-1989). He has sat on the Boards of the Canadian Water Network, the Canadian Rivers Institute, ECO Canada, Enovex Inc. and the NB research and Productivity Council. Bill was a Member of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) (2001-2005) where he Co-Chaired the Boreal Forest Program. He presently acts in an advisory capacity to NRTEE, the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) and the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Bill Cheliak is currently the VP of Business Development of Neurodyn, a start-up neurological research company using slowly progressive animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Cheliak is also the co-founder of BNC Pharma, a consulting firm that assists companies in the pharma and biotech industries. Dr. Bill Cheliak is the former VP Business Development at Genizon BioSciences and the former VP Business Development and Alliances at Supratek Pharma. Dr. Cheliak has more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology sector including executive roles at Cobequid Life Sciences and as President of its ProGeneSys division. Dr. Cheliak has held executive positions in the public sector and is currently a member of several senior committees providing advice and recommendations to the Government of Canada on funding of large national science and infrastructure initiatives. Dr. Cheliak has a Ph.D. in population genetics from the University of Alberta.

Ronald L. Doering, B.A., LL.B., M.A., LL.D., is a partner with the national law firm of Gowling Lafleur Henderson, where he practices with the Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Group. With over 35 years experience in law and public administration, Dr. Doering has spoken and written extensively on a broad range of public policy matters, with particular recent emphasis on risk and the relationship between science and policy. He set up and was the President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Canada's largest science-based regulator. He teaches a graduate course on Food Law and Policy at the University of Guelph.

Cathy Garner has a life-long dedication to innovation for economic and social improvement and over 20 years of experience in practice. She is founder and current principal of an international consulting network specialising in innovation in cities and university- business partnerships for knowledge exchange. She has worked with clients around the world from Europe to Japan and Australia. She is currently also an Associate of the Council for Industry and Higher Education of the UK; a member of the New Club of Paris and an advisor to the World Capital Institute in Mexico on knowledge-city development. As Chief Executive of Manchester: Knowledge Capital for six years she built a globally recognised partnership for innovation by bridging the boundaries across business, universities and government. Her partnership building skills and style of leadership delivered success by inspiring and supporting innovation across projects and sectors. Manchester achieved global recognition for this effort by being named most admired Knowledge City in 2009. With a background in policy development and research in social housing, regeneration and community development, she has worked in economic development, urban systems, innovation, and knowledge transfer and business entrepreneurship. Her initial academic research career was in school educational performance. In the UK she served on the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property between 2008 and 2010, was a member of the Cabinet Office Innovators’ Council in 2009. Cathy has served as a non-executive director on number of public and private sector Boards and is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2002 Cathy established an international charity to address the health needs of the global poor through creative intellectual property solutions, working with the Rockefeller Foundation, international NGO’s, multinational corporations and universities worldwide. She continues this work in a volunteer capacity. Previously Cathy established and ran the Research and Enterprise Office at the University of Glasgow in Scotland where she led the establishment of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise and was a founder director of the Scottish North American Business Council. She was a member of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) in the USA and served as their inaugural Vice President for International Relations.

Michael Gibbons is Honorary Professorial Fellow in Science and Technology Policy Research with the University of Sussex. Former appointments include Director of the Science Policy Research Unit at Sussex University and Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Prior to these appointments he was Founding Director of the Programme of Policy Research in Engineering Science and Technology at the University of Manchester and Director of Research and Technology Transfer in that University. Dr. Gibbons has an active research interest in science and technology policy generally but has additionally carried out research in the process of technological innovation in industry and the evaluation of research. He is co-author with colleagues of two major books on the nature of contemporary science: New Modes of Knowledge Production and Re-thinking Science, which have arguably set the agenda for much current science policy debate. His work has been vigorously taken up by the South African authorities who have adopted the notion of Mode 2 research as a guiding concept during the current, and ongoing, transformation of the South African higher education system. From 2000 to 2003, he was a member of the UK Economic and Social Research Council and Chair of its Research Priorities Board. From 2004, he was Chair of the Board of Quest University, Canada’s first secular, private, not-for-profit university, based in Squamish, British Columbia. In 2004 he became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Higher Education and was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for excellence in research by the government of Canada.

John Leggat is an Associate Consultant with CFN Consultants. Prior to joining CFN in September 2005, he was the Assistant Deputy Minister (Science & Technology) of the Department of National Defence and the Chief Executive Officer of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC). In this capacity, he led DRDC, which provides national leadership in defence science, and furnishes scientific advice and products to the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence. During his scientific career, Dr. Leggat has served in a number of appointments in Defence R&D. As Director General of DRDC’s Ottawa research centre from 1994-1997, he directed a program that addressed radar systems, electronic warfare, communications and space systems. From 1990 to 1994 he was responsible for the technology development program for the Department of National Defence. Prior to this appointment, he spent 14 years at the DRDC Atlantic research centre where he carried out and led research in the area of ship and submarine technology pertaining to noise reduction, hydromechanics, ship structures and materials. Dr. Leggat is a Past President of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences. He is a Past President of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is a member of Science Advisory Committee of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a member of the Board of Governors of the Council of Canadian Academies and a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries. He is a past President of the Alumni Association of the Royal Military Colleges of Canada.

Camille Limoges recently retired as Deputy Minister of Quebec's Ministère de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie. His three decades of work, both as a scholar and a civil servant, has made an indelible mark on science and technology research. Well-known as a pioneer in the field of the history of science and technology in Quebec, Dr. Limoges founded the Institut d'histoire et de sociopolitique des sciences at the Université de Montréal in 1973. Ten years later, he became the Deputy Minister of Quebec's newly-created ministère de la Science et de la Technologie. Returning to academia in 1987, this time to the Université du Québec à Montréal, Dr. Limoges joined a multiuniversity team the Centre de recherche en évaluation sociale des technologies. Thereafter, he went on to found and serve as director of the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie. He also served from 1989 to 1990 as President of ACFAS (Association canadienne-française pour l'avancement des sciences). In 1997, he became President of the Conseil de la science et de la technologie (CST) and in 2000 was appointed Deputy Minister for Research, Science and Technology.

Barbara Mittleman is an internist and rheumatologist with substantial clinical, bench and administrative experience. She earned B.A., and M.D. degrees from the University of Pittsburgh where she also completed residency and fellowship training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. She then came to NIH for additional post-doctoral training in cellular immunology, focusing the autoimmunity and pathobiology of systemic lupus erythematosus. In 1995 she was named the inaugural Director of the NIH's Program on Public-Private Partnerships, where she is charged with developing and promulgating policy, brokering interactions among a wide variety of government and non-government partners, and in the development and execution of partnerships which promote the NIH's public health mission. She lectures widely on partnership-related topics and has provided advice and best practices based on NIH's experience to organizations including other Universities, government agencies, foundations and advocacy groups, companies and trade organizations, and others. She also serves on the CIHR Commercialization Advisory Board.

Ralph P. Overend has a very diverse background in energy research and development with expertise in chemical reaction kinetics applied to thermochemical and biological processes. With an educational background in physical chemistry, he has worked in Bioenergy and renewable energy sources since 1973 as a strategic planner, manager and coordinator of research and development both in Canada and the USA. His area of expertise includes gas phase kinetics, biomass, lifecycle assessment, biotechnology for fuel production, thermochemical processing, techno-economic analysis, systems simulation, bioenergy conversion and catalysis. He has been with the National Research Council of Canada as a manager of the Bioenergy program and advisor to the Department of Energy Mines & Resources on biomass energy for 20 years. In 1990 he joined the US Department of Energy Biomass Power program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Overend is bilingual, able to review English and French proposals, which he has done for NSERC in the capacity of external reviewer for over 20 years.

Nathaniel G. Pitts has worked for more than 30 years for the U. S. National Science Foundation (NSF) on various matters dealing with science and technology. As the first Director of the Office Of Integrative Activities, he was responsible for overseeing and coordinating cross-Foundational activities surrounding: 1) the NSF supported Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships; 2) the Congressionally mandated Major Research Instrumentation Program; 3) the Presidential Early Career Awards for Science and Engineering; 4) the NSF Merit Review Process; 5) the Committee of Visitors Process; 6) the Government Performance Results Act implementation; and 7) the Congressionally mandated Committee on Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering (CEOSE). He has made numerous presentations to the National Science Board while representing the NSF Director on management issues and NSF-wide programs. A neuroscientist and electrophysiologist, Dr. Pitts developed and directed numerous neuroscience programs, sections, and divisions while at NFS. He guided programs at NIH in neuroscience and spent a fellowship working for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee while preparing science and math education legislation. Dr. Pitts was the first Director of the Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure at NSF and chaired the subcommittee on Academic Research Infrastructure for the White House National Science and Technology Council. Dr. Pitts retired from NSF in 2008 but continues to speak and advise both nationally and internationally on various issues concerning science and technology policy including: research infrastructure; human resource development; technology transfer; the integration of research and education; and the evaluation of the U.S. basic research enterprise. Dr. Pitts has served as a U.S. delegate to APEC addressing international science policy issues and has addressed European Union committees on science management matters. Dr. Pitts won numerous awards while serving as a civil servant, twice winning the Presidential Rank Award for Senior Executives. Prior to joining NSF, Dr. Pitts was on the faculty of the Rockefeller University where he researched both sensory and motor spinal pathways of the central nervous system. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology/chemistry from Whittier College and Ph.D. degree in neurophysiology from the University of California at Davis.

Nola-Kate Seymoar recently retired from serving for eleven years as the President & CEO of the International Centre for Sustainable Cities (Sustainable Cities International). Under her leadership the Centre won the 2008 award for Long-term Commitment to International Cooperation – from the Canadian Awards for International Cooperation, as well as earlier international awards for sustainable urban design, for partnerships in urban sustainability, for food security and for energy efficiency in buildings. During her time at Sustainable Cities she developed several conceptual frameworks which were applied in the field, including a Four Directional Model of Sustainable International Development and a Planning Cycle model for long-term integrated planning for sustainability. She researched several Next Generation Communities and presented the results to the Alberta Research Councils’ Jasper Innovation Forum in 2009. As the founder of the Sustainable Cities: PLUS Network she has a long standing interest in facilitating city-to-city learning and knowledge transfer. Dr. Seymoar currently chairs Simon Fraser University’s Urban Studies Advisory Board, is an adjunct professor at Royal Roads University, and sits on advisory boards for Royal Roads University’s Peace and Conflict Studies program and UBC’s Sustainability Initiatives and the faculty of Land and Food Systems. In addition to acting as keynote speaker and lecturer, Dr. Seymoar has authored and edited a number of articles and books on community and sustainable development and taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in North America. She received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2002. She has three interdisciplinary degrees. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Union Graduate School, Ohio, and an M.A. in Community Development from the University of Alberta. Her undergraduate degree is in Recreation Administration from the University of Alberta. Dr. Seymoar has a background in community economic development and social psychology. Prior to leading Sustainable Cities she was Senior Advisor and Deputy to the President at the International Institute for Sustainable Development in Winnipeg, Canada. In the early 1990s, Dr. Seymoar developed and directed the "We the People: 50 Communities Awards Programme" in honour of the 50th Anniversary of the UN, and was the Executive Director of ECO ED (World Congress for Education & Communication on Environment and Development), a follow–up to the Earth Summit. Between 1986 and 1991, as a senior executive in the federal government she served as Director General of Special Projects for Environment Canada; Special Advisor to the President of the Asbestos Institute; and Executive Director for the Commission of Inquiry on Unemployment Insurance. Earlier in her career, Dr. Seymoar’s focus on communities and public service is reflected in her postings with the City of Edmonton, the Alberta Department of Youth, and the Government of Saskatchewan where she was Executive Director of Regional Social Services. She also had success in the private sector with several businesses.

Margaret Wagner Dahl is Associate Provost for Economic Development and Director of the Georgia BioBusiness Center for the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Working closely with the Georgia Research Alliance and the Advanced Technology Development Center, Dahl assists university-related startups with building sustainable businesses as well as advancing UGA’s level of engagement in economic development across Georgia and internationally. Dahl structured and manages the Georgia BioBusiness Center, a unique biotechnology based business incubator tied closely to centers of interdisciplinary research at the University of Georgia. The Georgia BioBusiness Center currently is host to several nationally rising biotechnology companies as well as working with well established companies through embedded laboratories. Prior to coming to UGA in July 1999, she was Director of Operations at the Austin Technology Incubator, a program of the University of Texas at Austin, and then the Corporate Technology Advisor at Baker and Botts, a premier Texas law firm. Previously, she was the Director of Licensing of the University of Washington’s Office of Technology Transfer in Seattle with a specific focus on the Health Sciences. Her career began with ten years of private sector experience in the technology industry, including positions with multi-national pharmaceutical companies Pharmacia and Organon Teknika. She has also created two successful startup companies, Video Electronics Ltd. and MediScope (Ireland) Ltd. Her degrees are in sociology and geography with honors from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth University.

David Watters worked for over 30 years in the Federal Public Service in a variety of departments. He spent 20 years in executive positions in Energy Mines and Resources, Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Industry Canada (as Assistant Deputy Minister), Treasury Board Secretariat (in charge of Crown corporations and privatization issues, including PetroCanada and Canadian National Railways), the Canadian Coast Guard (as its Commissioner) and Finance Canada (as Assistant Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Corporate Finance, including directing the Budget input process for Micro-economic and Innovation matters). David then moved to the Public Policy Forum where he worked on projects dealing with the Innovation Agenda, particularly in areas such as Innovation policy, Health Reform, Transportation, and the Telecommunications and Information Technology sectors. He also developed reports on the impact of the Enron and other corporate and public sector governance problems for Canadian regulators. In 2002 David set up Global Advantage Consulting Group Inc. (Ottawa) and is the President of this strategic management consulting firm that provides advice to corporate, association, and government clients in Canada. Clients include several federal departments such as Industry Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Biotechnology Secretariat, Human Resources Development Canada, the Office of the National Science Advisor and Environment Canada. He has also assisted a variety of other public and private clients such as the National Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, Iogen Corporation, the Canadian StemCell Network, Genome Canada, the University of Ottawa School of Management and the Executive MBA program (where he teaches a course on International Negotiation), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Change Foundation, the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, and the Government of Ontario. David’s areas of specialization and talent are in creating new models for policy development, consultation and decision making, from idea creation to implementation through all stages of the value capture chain. His firm strives to create lasting relationships with its client base to help them through all stages of their organization’s development, growth and ongoing commercialization or globalization – whether this be in the public or private sector. David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Queen’s University as well as a Law degree in corporate, commercial and tax law from Queen’s University Law School. He is an adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa School of Management.

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Monitoring Committee

The NCE Monitoring committee assesses the annual progress of all five year NCE-Networks, NCE-KM Networks and the Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence.

Monitoring Committee Members

(Vice-Chair) Jane Barratt is the Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing comprising government and non government members in 62 countries and representing some 50 million older people. She brings to this position over 35 years experience in both public and private sectors in the fields of public health, community and aged care, and ageing and disability. Dr Barratt has strived to strengthen the roles and relationships between government, NGOs, academia and the private sector in order to help shape and influence policy to improve the quality of life of older people. She is a strong contributor to the international dialogue on the intersection of social, cultural and physical environments that impact on the lives of older people. Dr Barratt is a Churchill Fellow, representative of the IFA at the United Nations Economic and Social Council and directly responsible for the formal relations with the Ageing and Life Course Department, World Health Organization. She holds adjunct academic positions, executive positions on ministerial, government and non-government committees and the corporate sectors internationally and has many years of experience in organizational management, staff development and the analysis of operations leading to improvements in policies, programs and client outcomes in the areas of health, ageing and disability.