FREDERICTON (GNB) – The names of the appointees to the New Brunswick Research and Innovation Council were presented today by Premier David Alward and Geoff Flood, co-chairs of the council.

“The importance of research and innovation is paramount to help us accelerate economic growth in rebuilding New Brunswick,” said Alward. “The high calibre of these individuals will definitely help provide advice to government on long-term policies and budgets and also ensure a rigorous accountability framework for all research and innovation stakeholders.”

The council is intended to guide and focus research and innovation activity across all sectors and stakeholders in New Brunswick. Its primary goal will be to accelerate the growth of innovation-based entrepreneurship in the province and create the conditions for the commercialization of current and future research in the province’s public universities and research centres.

The appointees to the council are:

●    Geoff Flood, founder and president of T4G, a leading technology solutions company;
●    Eddy Campbell, president and vice-chancellor of the University of New Brunswick;
●    Liane Roy, president and chief executive officer of the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick;
●    François Cordeau, general manager for Information Communication Technology with the National Research Council;
●    Jon Manship, chief executive officer of Technology Venture Corp., a private venture capital and investment holding company headquartered in Moncton;
●    Dan Nowlan, managing director and co-head, Equity Markets, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) World Markets Inc.;
●    Ian de la Roche, adjunct professor of Forestry at the University of British Columbia and principal of Delaroche Consultancy;
●    Dr. Lynn Nagle, assistant professor of Nursing at the University of Toronto and president of Nagle and Associates;
●    Jeff White, co-founder and chief operating officer of East Valley Ventures headquartered in Saint John and former chief financial officer of Radian6;
●    Trevor Cookson, chief executive officer of iTacit, a leading health technology solutions company headquartered in Fredericton;
●    Ken Nickerson, founder and chief operating officer of iBinary LLC a private research and investment corporation, based in Toronto;
●    Charlotte Burke, Partner, Communications, Media and Technology at Accenture Canada.

Ex-officio members will be:

●    Premier David Alward;
●    Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Danny Soucy;
●    Leader of the Official Opposition Victor Boudreau (Brian Gallant);
●    Economic Development Minister Paul Robichaud;
●    Bob Hatheway, president of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation and president and chief executive officer of the Hatheway Group;
●    Dr. Rodney Ouellette, acting chair of the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation and president and scientific director of the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute.

The council's duties will include advising government on the creation of a multi-year policy and budgetary framework every four years. As well, they will be tasked with creating and submitting sector-specific studies or reports to government on different aspects of research and innovation.

“The council will create conditions for the commercialization of current and future research in our public universities and research centres,” said Alward. “This is an essential aspect of our plan to rebuild New Brunswick's economy.”

The creation of the New Brunswick Research and Innovation Council is in direct response to recommendations contained in Strategies for Innovation, a report from a 12-member working group submitted to the provincial government in May 2012.

The selection of appointees consist of members from industry to support government's priority sectors and as well as representatives from the academic community.


24-04-13