From 2002 to 2006 McDougall was on NRC-Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) Advisory Board.
Change in research direction In 2011, NRC President
John R. McDougall, began to oversee a change in research focus away from basic research and towards industrial-relevant research. This included the development of several "flagship programs", shifting research budget out of existing research and into a few focused programs. One flagship program, "Algal Carbon Conversion", is related to prior interests of Mr. McDougall, as he previously headed Innoventures, a company involved in lobbying for the development of an algae system to recycle carbon emissions. The Algal Carbon Conversion Pilot Project, with plans for a $19 million facility to be constructed in Alberta, is a partnership between the NRC and industry partners,
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (Canadian Natural) and Pond Biofuels. The NRC was not involved in this area of research prior to the arrival of Mr. McDougall. In a press conference held in Ottawa, 7 May 2013, with
Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) and Deputy Leader of the Government at the Senate,
Claude Carignan, John R. McDougall announced the transition of the NRC to an industry-driven, program-based research and technology organization.
Tim Hortons gift card controversy A minor controversy early in John R. McDougall's presidency attracted media attention. In June 2012, 65 NRC employees who had just been laid off received $3 gift cards to be spent at the Tim Hortons chain of coffee shops. The cards were accompanied by a letter from Mr. McDougall reading in part: "Thank you for the contribution you have made in helping NRC successfully work through our massive transformation. To celebrate our success in gaining government support, here is a token of appreciation: have a coffee and a doughnut on me." Although the gift cards and letters were sent to all NRC employees, some of those who had just been laid off reacted negatively. One employee described the gift card as "a kick in the teeth". 47 of the employees who were laid off worked at the NRC's Winnipeg location, many of them scientists carrying out research in magnetic resonance imaging. The actual cost turned out to be much higher, on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.
John R. McDougall's impact on research There was a steep drop in research publications and new patents from NRC during John R. McDougall's stint as president; scientific staff was cut significantly. An article published in April 2016 and based on information from the office of the Science Minister gave the following figures for the period 2011-2015: "In the five years from 2011 through 2015, the number of studies in academic journals were 1,889, 1,650, 1,204, 1,017 and 549, respectively. (Figures from 2010 and earlier are generally in the 1,200 to 1,300 range.) The number of patents over the period 2011 to 2014 (with no figure available for 2015) are: 205, 251, 128 and 112, respectively. The years before 2011 averaged 250 to 300 patents per year". – and re-organizing its three research divisions into five research divisions. Effective August 24, 2016, Iain Stewart became the new President of the NRC. The reasons for John R. McDougall's "retirement" from the presidency of the NRC were never given. On July 29, 2016, Kennedy Stewart, the NDP science critic in Parliament, was quoted as welcoming the appointment of a new president. He commented: "The new president has his work cut out for him though because the Conservatives ravaged the National Research Council". In December 2016, it was reported that owners of homes near the lab in Mississippi Mills were launching a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against NRC over water contamination. == See also ==