Federal Budget will determine scope of institute for sustainable development

Best hope for Regina cluster

Backers of a proposal to establish a national institute in Regina for sustainable development are waiting for the next federal Budget to see whether they have been successful in securing core funding for their project. The Sustainable Communities Institute (SCI) — a joint initiative of the the National Research Council, Univ of Regina and the City of Regina — requires between $30 million and $40 million to realize its ambitious goal of establishing a sustainable development cluster in the mid-sized western city.

The SCI plans to establish an integrated research program to develop, adapt and demonstrate technologies, tools, process and competencies related to environment, social and transportation infrastructure. A memorandum of understanding has already been signed between the university and municipality allowing Regina to be used as a test bed or living laboratory for the institute’s work. The Regina Regional Economic Development Authority has chosen environmental technologies and information technology as the city’s best bets for cluster formation, and both areas are critical to the success of SCI.

To fine tune the proposal and marshal it through the next steps, SCI’s interim board of directors has hired Dr Robert Greenwood as its first full time project director, replacing Gerald Fiske who remains on SCI’s steering committee. Greenwood will be working with a strategic business plan and a market intelligence study — both released last year — to finalize SCI’s governance structure, and determine the ultimate scope of its mandate and priority actions. Greenwood says there’s a consensus that the scope of planned activities is probably too wide and that SCI’s R&D will focus on environmental management systems and information systems.

“You can’t boil the ocean. We have to determine what’s the low-hanging fruit and start with short-to-medium-term initiatives. The missions and goals will be reworked so that they cascade better and there will be fewer goals,” says Greenwood. “The cost structure is a work in progress but the categories are consistent with those outlined in the business plan.”

The SCI business plan states that the environmental industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in Canada, with a global market worth US$846 billion and expected to reach $1 trillion by 2010. The largest component of the sector is water supply and water and wastewater treatment. Driving the growth of the sector are factors such as eco-efficiency and pollution prevention, human health, higher standards and performance in managing complex environmental issues.

SCI wants to position itself as an integrated research institute that identifies gaps and then develops and assembles environmental technologies and applications, with the capability to assess and test their operation in real situations. As such, it will have a strong commercialization focus aimed at creating new firms, products and services and includes a mentorship program.

SCI is currently operating on short term funding from Western Economic Diversification and Saskatchewan Industry and Resources through the Univ of Regina. The full strategic plan will be implemented if NRC funding is awarded in the Budget. But Greenwood says that without federal funding, a scaled back Institute involving the city and university will go ahead regardless.

Likely the most frequently asked question about SCI is why Regina has been chosen as a location for a national institute focused on the environmental sustainability of urban infrastructure. Greenwood says the city of 200,000 is eminently suitable, with clearly defined limits, and a manageable population size. As well, weather extremes allow for a straightforward modeling and monitoring, and the city has strong environmental and social characteristics.

“Regina has all the systems, attributes and challenges of larger cities but it’s much easier to explore these in a smaller jurisdiction,” he says. “It’s also easier to find champions and key players to develop a common vision.”

In addition to Regina, SCI’s other backers bring a powerful set of tools and competencies to the proposal. The Univ of Regina has identified its five core research strengths – energy and environment, informatics, population health, heritage and social justice – all of which play a critical role in building sustainable communities. The institution is hoping that SCI will help it boost its research activities by attracting more research income. It currently ranks 29th in Canada, with sponsored research income of $13.3 million in FY01, up 31.2% from FY00.

The NRC is the largest player in the SCI partnership and as the dominant player is responsible for securing the largest amount of funding. Along with the Industrial Research Assistance Program, NRC has the research base and industrial ties, with several institutes conducting applicable R&D.

SCI is yet another example of the NRC’s willingness to move beyond its traditional institute structure and collaborate with other partners to bolster its regional strengths. Greenwood says there are three governance models currently under consideration, but that SCI won’t be like the recently established National Institute of Nanotechnology, a joint initiative between the NRC, Univ of Alberta and Province of Alberta.

SCI could be a consortium, with various players coming together for specific projects, or it could be established as an arm’s length institute. Also being considered is a stand-alone, incorporated body in which each player is a shareholder.

“Form should follow function. We need to be clear about what the Institute should do,” says Greenwood. “Other federal or provincial agencies could also be partners.”

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