CRIAQ serves as a model of excellence for the creation of a national network for research and collaboration in the field of aerospace.
The Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ) welcomes yesterday’s announcement by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Industry, confirming the intentions of the Government of Canada to create a national network for aerospace research and collaboration built on the foundations of CRIAQ’s successful approach to collaborative research, working together with the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC), CRIAQ and the provinces to make this a reality. CRIAQ also welcomed the measures announced by the government in the field of space, a crucial sector that will benefit greatly from the national collaborative research network. These announcements come as the Government of Canada continues to take measures to implement the key recommendations of the Aerospace Review Report published in November 2012.
This decision echoes the stance taken by AIAC in favour of the CRIAQ model as a basis for the creation of the national network, as called for by the Technology and Innovation Committee, set up by the AIAC to provide expert advice on the timely and effective implementation of the technological recommendations contained in the Aerospace Review Report.
CRIAQ—an advocate for a unique model of collaboration perfectly suited to the field of aerospace, with a flexible structure, where funding is sourced from the industry, the provincial government, universities and research centres, and bringing together a community of hundreds of researchers, scientists and students—has inspired the Canadian aerospace sector. Like CRIAQ, the national aerospace research and collaboration network aims to bring together stakeholders from the industry, universities, colleges and research laboratories, amassing the best of the best in Canadian industry to develop the most advanced aerospace technologies and facilitate collaborative research.
This announcement from the Canadian government marks the first anniversary of the tabling of the Aerospace Review Report by the Honourable David Emerson, who led a comprehensive review of the policies and programs of the aerospace sector, as mandated by the Government of Canada in 2011. The Report recommends that the Government of Canada allocate funds for a pan-Canadian initiative to facilitate communication and collaboration among aerospace companies, researchers and higher education institutions. On this front, CRIAQ is recognized as a model of excellence and is cited as an example in the report for its approach to collaborative research, which is applicable across Canada.
