Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
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Synergy Awards for Innovation
University of New Brunswick and PCI Geomatics
Category 1: Small and Medium-Sized Companies
Prize Backgrounder
Innovation paves the road to success in the new global economy. The Synergy Awards for Innovation were launched in 1995 by NSERC to recognize partnerships in natural sciences and engineering research and development between universities and industry. Since their inception, the awards have honoured the most outstanding achievements of university-industry collaboration in the natural sciences and engineering.
By working together, award-winning companies and universities have proven that effective partnerships are the foundation of achievement. Their success has enriched the academic and research programs within Canadian universities while providing tangible benefits to Canadians.
The universities each receive a $200,000 NSERC research grant. Industrial partners each receive the prestigious Synergy sculpture and an opportunity to hire an NSERC Industrial R&D Fellow for two years (NSERC will bear the cost of the industrial portion of the fellow’s salary).
The Synergy Awards for Innovation showcase innovation and the benefits of pooling resources to make the most of Canadian ingenuity. The awards are judged on:
- partnership;
- effective use of resources;
- tangible benefits; and
- for the Leo Derikx Award only, an innovative model.
Award Categories
Synergy Awards are offered in four categories:
- Small and Medium-Sized Companies – A partnership with a single company of up to 500 employees.
- Large Companies – A partnership with a single company of more than 500 employees.
- Two or More Companies – A partnership with two or more companies of any size.
- Leo Derikx Award – An established innovative model of long-standing university-industry partnership in pre-competitive R&D that has improved the general well-being of an industry.
For two decades, Leo Derikx was a driving force in building and developing university-industry partnerships in Canada. As Director General of Research Partnerships for NSERC, it was Leo Derikx who helped to create the Synergy Awards. Upon his retirement in 1999, the award for innovative models of long-standing interaction in the precompetitive stage of R&D was named in his honour.
