Program directory · National Research Council Canada
Security and Disruptive Technologies
- Department
- National Research Council Canada
- Program code
- BNQ16 (NRC)
- Core responsibility
- Science and Innovation
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2023-24 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
The Security and Disruptive Technologies program builds and validates emerging technology platforms (such as nanotechnology, quantum technologies and the convergence of nano-, bio- and information technologies) that can be applied in a range of industries to sustain Canada's industrial competitiveness by opening new markets and value networks for Canadian industries in tomorrow’s economy. Efforts focus on applications for addressing national security challenges because security and defence innovation players are amongst the earliest adopters of such technologies from which broader commercial adaptations ultimately evolve, replacing existing technologies. Results are achieved through multi-disciplinary collaborative research and development services in addition to specialized technical services in state-of-the-art facilities for ultimately introducing disruptive and transformational technology solutions into practice and the marketplace.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security and Disruptive Technologies | This program | 2018-19 – 2025-26 | $102M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Indicators added: Citation score of Security and Disruptive Technologies generated publications relative to world average; Number of patent applications filed; Number of peer-reviewed publications generated by the Security and Disruptive Technologies Research Centre; Revenue earned from all external research clients | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Indicators dropped: Number of clients and collaborators working with the Research Centre annually; Number of unique intellectual assets generated by Research Centre employees; Value of external contributions to Research Centre research and development services and scientific and technological infrastructure | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 1.3 | 2022 | 1.02 The citation score reflects a strategic focus on patent applications (as opposed to publications) and an effort to build capabilities in new research areas. To reflect continued scientific recognition of SDT’s work, it is important to note that about 12% of its publications were in the top 10% most cited in the world in 2021-22. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 1.3 | 2023 | 0.99 FWCI improvement is largely dependent on global citation trends, however the Security and Disruptive Technologies (SDT) Research Centre will review its FWCI performance to identify potential causes, which may include changes in the scientific publication trends impacting the average FWCI of Canadian publications, which includes those of the NRC. This analysis will help SDT identify strategies to… | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 1.1 | 2024 | 1.03 Focus on IP generation and revenues affected the focus on publications. A contributing factor for the decrease is changes in global scientific publication trends which may have impacted the average FWCI of Canadian publications, which includes those of SDT. The decrease in recent years triggered a review of the publication strategy to ensure better communication of research excellence. The annual… | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 20 | 2022 | 43 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 20 | 2023 | 26 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 15 | 2024 | 46 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 85 | 2022 | 104 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 85 | 2023 | 121 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 85 | 2024 | 106 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ $2.8M | 2022 | $3.5M | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ $2.8M | 2023 | $2.2M Due to an increase in scale, a major project (and its associated revenues) was transferred to another NRC research centre, resulting in lower-than-targeted revenues for the Security and Disruptive Technologies (SDT) Research Centre for FY 2022-23. SDT is working on the development of new opportunities with clients for 2023-24. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ $2.8M | 2024 | $3.4M | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 19 | 2019 | 20 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 12 | 2020 | 21 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 16 | 2021 | 14 Target was almost met. In order to comply with public health measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Security and Disruptive Technologies had to restrict on-site activities to focus on priority projects and within lower on-site occupancy, thus slowing down or postponing many projects with clients and collaborators. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 93 | 2019 | 130 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 113 | 2020 | 115 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 115 | 2021 | 122 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ $2.3M | 2019 | $3.7M | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ $2.5M | 2020 | $4.1M | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ $2.8M | 2021 | $3.5M | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $12.6M | $16.8M |
| 2019-20 | $15.6M | $18.4M |
| 2020-21 | $16.2M | $16.3M |
| 2021-22 | $16.6M | $17.1M |
| 2022-23 | $20.2M | $15.7M |
| 2023-24 | $20.7M | $17.9M |
| 2024-25 | $21.9M* | — |
| 2025-26 | $22.5M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 43 | 92 |
| 2019-20 | 89 | 89 |
| 2020-21 | 73 | 92 |
| 2021-22 | 82 | 88 |
| 2022-23 | 99 | 89 |
| 2023-24 | 88 | 91 |
| 2024-25 | 88* | — |
| 2025-26 | 88* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $12,564,385 | $12,565,494 | $12,634,416 | |||||
| 2019-20 plan | $15,637,064 | $15,705,961 | $15,705,849 | |||||
| 2020-21 plan | $16,201,422 | $16,318,111 | $16,349,359 | |||||
| 2021-22 plan | $16,585,767 | $16,349,359 | $16,349,359 | |||||
| 2022-23 plan | $20,207,135 | $19,453,126 | $19,355,074 | |||||
| 2023-24 plan | $20,734,385 | $21,871,416 | $22,466,410 | |||||
| Actual | $16,777,659 | $18,350,898 | $16,254,594 | $17,089,782 | $15,669,532 | $17,879,341 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
