Feature story: A letter of thanks to NRC President Iain Stewart

NRC President Iain Stewart is retiring on January 2, 2024, after 30 years of public service, 7 of which were with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).

Iain was first appointed President of the NRC in August 2016, and was subsequently renewed in September 2018. His mandate included a requirement that became the central theme of his presidency— to assess the NRC and how it supports its primary purpose: the pursuit of research excellence.

In September 2020, while the world navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister called Iain to serve Canadians as the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada. After successfully leading the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, Iain returned to the NRC in October 2021.

When asked to reflect upon his time at the NRC, Iain was quick to emphasize the many accomplishments made possible by the entire NRC community.

“Every day, teams of researchers, engineers, business experts, technical officers and advisors, and other dedicated professionals engage in or enable some of the most advanced science and technology development in the world.”

He is very proud of the NRC’s work supporting government priorities like climate change and sustainability, digitalization and response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While he credits the NRC community for this success, there is no doubt Iain made a profound contribution to the advancement of knowledge, government policy mandates and business innovation in Canada.

“What makes the NRC so special is its employees.”

Since he arrived in 2016, the NRC published over 8,000 articles, was granted over 1,000 patents, earned over $1.3B in contract revenue, provided research and technical advice to over 4,000 companies, supported more than 20,000 small and medium businesses with their innovation projects, and operated research facilities across Canada and, in the case of astronomy, internationally.

Iain worked diligently to increase NRC support for research excellence and engagement. He oversaw many significant changes, including establishing the President’s Chief Science Advisor position to promote the importance of research excellence. He was involved in creating a postdoctoral fellowship program and an early career research network. His work to help shape the research excellence landscape also included encouraging adjunct professorships and increasing the number of students at the NRC.

During Iain’s time as President, the NRC substantially expanded assistance to support SMEs through the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). This included an increased funding threshold to support research and development projects up to $10 million, additional support to companies so they can hire young talent to contribute to their innovation needs, and helping SMEs to take steps in protecting their intellectual property through IP Assist.

Iain believes the NRC’s success also lies in working collaboratively with companies of all sizes, universities and colleges and other levels of government both in Canada and abroad. He fondly recalls the development of new tools to internally fund future NRC initiatives like creating the Collaborative Science, Technology and Innovation Program in 2018 and enabling new funded collaborative R&D programs and initiatives, including our Challenge programs. These Challenge programs launched large-scale collaborative research in new areas where we combine our skills with others from industry, academia and other research institutions in important areas like aging in place, cell and gene therapy, robotics, critical minerals and batteries and more.

In fall 2022, the NRC received $982M and $121M a year ongoing to modernize its facilities. This generational investment underscores the commitment to fostering scientific exploration and ensuring Canada remains at the forefront of global scientific discovery.

The last 7 years have also seen us expand operations like building new labs in Mississauga (our first in the Toronto area) and in Winnipeg. Iain also highlights the construction, equipping, commissioning and operation of the Clinical Trial Manufacturing Facility and the Biologics Manufacturing Centre in Royalmount, Quebec.

Many more milestones and accomplishments have happened under Iain’s leadership, which will be part of his lasting NRC legacy.

Iain wants to thank NRC employees, who through their energy, ideas and leadership have brought to life the collective pursuit of enabling research and innovation in Canada. He would also like to thank the NRC President’s Research Excellence Advisory Committee for their ideas and suggestions which have strengthened the organization’s efforts to foster and maintain a culture of research excellence. While he will miss the people, Iain is deeply proud of the time he spent working alongside some of the brightest minds in the country.

Congratulations on your well-earned retirement, Iain. Thank you for your many contributions to the NRC and Canada!

Read more stories about NRC research, and how our work contributes to the success of our clients and partners.