Program directory · National Research Council Canada
Advanced Electronics and Photonics
- Department
- National Research Council Canada
- Program code
- BNQ23 (NRC)
- Core responsibility
- Science and Innovation
- In Departmental Plans
- 2019-20 – 2023-24 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
In support of Canada's digital economy, the Advanced Electronics and Photonics program applies leading-edge expertise in semiconducting materials and photonic device design and fabrication to design, validate, demonstrate and deliver solutions that lead to new market opportunities for industries in Canada's telecommunications sector that seek to profit from escalating connectivity needs. This is important for increasing Canada's global share of the growing telecommunications market. Results are achieved through multi-disciplinary collaborative research and development services in addition to specialized technical services in state-of-the-art facilities for transferring or advancing technologies into deployed solutions and improved practices for the marketplace. This includes custom manufacturing of novel components for innovative photonic, electronic, and opto-electronic devices.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2019-20. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Electronics and Photonics | This program | 2019-20 – 2025-26 | $176M |
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 Advanced Electronics and Photonics publications relative to world average; Number of patent applications filed; Number of peer-reviewed publications generated by the Advanced Electronics and Photonics 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) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $51.9M, against $38.5M in 2022-23 (+35%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $38.7M, against $58.9M in 2024-25 (−34%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
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 | ≥ 1.5 | 2022 | 1.07 The citation score results reflect an increase in the number of peer reviewed publications by AEP researchers. To reflect the continued scientific recognition of AEP’s work, it is important to note that 10% of AEP’s publications were in the top 10% most cited in the world in 2021-22. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 1.5 | 2023 | 0.87 The lower-than-expected citation score of the Advanced Electronics and Photonics (AEP) Research Centre’s publications is likely due, at least in part, to the fact that one or more highly cited publications are no longer factored into the 3-year average FWCI. Changes in the scientific publication trends may also have impacted the average FWCI of Canadian publications, which includes those of the N… | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 1.3 | 2024 | 0.92 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 AEP. The decrease in recent years triggered a review of the publication strategy to ensure better communication of research excellence. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 30 | 2022 | 39 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 32 | 2023 | 44 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 32 | 2024 | 24 The number of inventions generated and patent families issued to AEP remain stable. In line with NRC’s current approach to efficiently manage patent application costs, AEP filed patents in fewer jurisdictions, resulting in a decrease for this indicator. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 51 | 2022 | 94 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 60 | 2023 | 100 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 60 | 2024 | 95 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ $12M | 2022 | $13.3M | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ $13.4M | 2023 | $16.1M | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ $13.4M | 2024 | $13.3M Target essentially met. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 22 | 2020 | 19 Although Advanced Electronics and Photonics worked with diverse clients and collaborators from across the research ecosystem in 2019-20 through the new High Throughput and Secure Networks Challenge Program and Small Teams Initiative, it experienced a decrease in its volume of invoiced clients due to the cyclical nature of the market in which Advanced Electronics and Photonics operates. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 23 | 2021 | 10 In order to comply with public health measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Advanced Electronics and Photonics (AEP) had to restrict on-site activities to focus on pandemic response priority projects for clients which were deemed as essential or those where AEP’s contribution was part of a company’s supply chain. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 62 | 2020 | 102 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 75 | 2021 | 106 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ $17M | 2020 | $12.7M The market in which Advanced Electronics and Photonics operates is cyclical and the 2019-20 target was set at a time when revenue levels were unusually high, which cannot be replicated in the current economic environment. As such, targets will be revised in 2020-21 to take into account the cyclical aspects of the industry. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ $12.4M | 2021 | $13M | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | $28.1M | $27.4M |
| 2020-21 | $27.4M | $27.1M |
| 2021-22 | $27.9M | $31M |
| 2022-23 | $50.6M | $38.5M |
| 2023-24 | $58.5M | $51.9M |
| 2024-25 | $58.9M* | — |
| 2025-26 | $38.7M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 165 | 156 |
| 2020-21 | 155 | 150 |
| 2021-22 | 145 | 149 |
| 2022-23 | 168 | 159 |
| 2023-24 | 182 | 162 |
| 2024-25 | 182* | — |
| 2025-26 | 182* | — |
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 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 plan | $28,067,134 | $26,827,151 | $26,826,916 | ||||
| 2020-21 plan | $27,448,764 | $27,665,709 | $27,724,338 | ||||
| 2021-22 plan | $27,874,957 | $27,724,338 | $27,724,338 | ||||
| 2022-23 plan | $50,576,844 | $55,191,933 | $52,272,746 | ||||
| 2023-24 plan | $58,546,042 | $58,926,849 | $38,708,688 | ||||
| Actual | $27,359,457 | $27,068,680 | $31,001,056 | $38,495,936 | $51,895,172 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
