Rainer Iraschko's presentation from Cybera Summit 08.

1. Fast Tracking Innovation to Market

2. TRLabs - Who we are
Est. 1986, in Edmonton
Not-for-profit
Tri-Partite consortium
Edmonton
Government 1986 Saskatoon
1992
Academia
Industry
Calgary Regina Winnipeg
Applied ICT research 1991
newt
1996 1994
2002
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3. TRLabs – What we do
TRLabs facilitates economic development through:
Applied research
Prototype and application development
Technology Demonstrations
Technology testing and verification
Pre-commercialization Assistance
Connecting industry and academic institutions
Developing Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP)
University Industry
Innovation Valley
Awareness Basic R&D Dissem. Applied R&D Prf-Concept Prototype Pre-comm Commercial Growth Expansion Re-invest
Networking Adopt/Adapt Liaison Application Adaptation Scale-up Test Mfg Commercial Growth Expansion Mezzanine
Innovation = New ideas Commercialization = Creating Local Wealth
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4. The Numbers
Consortia Members Consortia Personnel
Small Business Universities Students Admin
43 5 120 19
Researchers
35
Governments Visiting
Larger Business
4 Researchers Faculty
9
4 65
Total: 243
Total: 243
Total: 61
Total: 61
Consortia Funding
45% Government 45% Industry
10% University
$13 Million Annual R&D Budget
$13 Million Annual R&D Budget
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5. TRLabs Research Program
Focus Areas
‘Special Initiatives’ in new
innovative emerging technologies
eHome
eHealth
Connected Media
will spawn new focus areas
Application Development
Increasing Integration &
Emerging Tech
Breadth of technical knowledge
• Agent Technology • Mesh Networks • Network Centric Applications • Wireless
• Augmented Reality • Microsystems • Network Characterization • Web Services
• Auto Service Generation • Modulation/Coding • P2P Networks • Sensor Networks
• Cellular • Environmentally Aware Networks • Personalization • Software Radio
• Digital Media • MIMO • Photonics • Self organizing networks
• DRM • MRG • Protocols • User Interface Technology
• Grid Computing • Nanotechnology • Reliable Networks • UWB
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6. Connected Media Focus Area
The Connected Media Focus Area at TRLabs
looks at how to evolve communication networks
to provide seamless ubiquitous access and
become cognitive in their operation so they
dynamically adapt to provide end users with
customized services.
Research themes in this focus area include:
• Ubiquitous cognitive networks
• Social networking
• Session based connectivity
• Presence
• Location based services
• Personalized mobile web-based services
Networks are evolving from “delivery vehicles” to “providers of ICT resources”
• Computation (a la Amazon web services, SUN, etc.)
• Storage (Google++)
• Services and Media (*tubes, entertainment, HD-everything)
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7. eHome Focus Area
The goal of the eHome Focus Area is to develop both
enabling technologies and integrated applications for
the ‘Smart Home’ and workplace of the future.
Research themes in this focus area include:
• Home automation and security
• Content technologies
• Trans-coding
• DRM
• Personalized infotainment
• Broadband connectivity
• Collaboration
• Information spaces
• Distributed computing/virtualization
As networks evolve from “delivery vehicles” to
“providers of ICT resources”, the world will change:
• At home eHome (the Smart Home)
• At work Enterprise 2.0
• In person Personalized Healthcare/
Infotainment
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8. eHealth Focus Area
In the not-too-distant future centralized databases,
electronic medical records, 3D digital imaging, and
wireless networks will enable ‘distributed
personalized health care’. The goal of the eHealth
Focus Area is to make this vision a reality.
Research themes in this focus area include:
• Informatics
• Electronic Medical Records
• Medical Imaging
• Visualization and Modeling
• Health Management
• Intelligent Systems (collaboration, correlation,
dissemination)
• eHealth Services
• Systems Biology
• Clinical Networks
• Storage/computation/connnectivity/collaboration
• Autonomous networks/sensor networks
The Future Systems and Applications That Deliver
‘Distributed Personalized Health Care’
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9. Emerging Technologies Focus Area
The purpose of the Emerging Technologies
Focus Area is to complete scans that identify
emerging/blue-sky technologies as well as
technologies closely aligned with TRLabs
Research Focus Areas
The Future
• Machines will out number and out compute
people (Kurzweil – “The singularity is near”)
• Digitization of everything at an exponential
rate; everything is connected and mobile
• Smaller, cheaper, more integrated
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10. The Disruptive Technology
Challenge (DTC)

11. The Disruptive Technology Challenge (DTC)
The Disruptive Technology Challenge (DTC) seeks to support faculty and
student innovation that has the potential to disrupt or create markets,
disrupt current thinking in a field, or provoke new avenues of research
Examples:
• Interdisciplinary work that brings developments from several disciplines
together in novel ways - creating ‘flashpoints', or the Medici Effect
(e.g., Macintosh computer, iPod)
• Software development
(e.g., Google, Facebook, Flickr)
• Development of a unique business model that is applicable to existing
services/products
(e.g., what iTunes did for the iPod, Charles Schwab for online trading)
• Applying existing technologies and applications to new or different markets
(e.g., Amazon, eBay)
• Developments that enable existing products/services to cross a disruptive
market threshold
(e.g., Bell Telephones vs. Telegraphy, CDs vs. LPs, ...)
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12. The DTC Award
Amount
• $100,000 Cdn annually
• The majority of each award must be used to fund graduate students
Who May Apply
• This award is open to faculty and students at universities affiliated with TRLabs,
i.e. the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba, Regina, and Saskatchewan.
• Both individual and team submissions are eligible. Inter-disciplinary, inter-
university teams are encouraged.
• As long as the primary contact and award recipients are resident at the affiliated
universities, there are no restrictions on any other members of the team.
Key Dates
• All submissions must be received by 14:00 MST, October 31, 2008.
• Winners will be announced in December
Forms and Submissions
• Online at http://trlabs.ca/trlabs/research/dtc
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13. DTC Selection Process
Selection Process
• The division of the DTC award will be at the discretion of a Selection
Committee
• Selections will be made by a multidisciplinary review panel consisting of
prominent members of the academic and business communities.
• In addition to the Chair, six members are anticipated:
• One from TRLabs
• One from TRLabs' Research Advisory Board
• Three from the affiliate universities (Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba, Regina, &
Saskatchewan)
• One from a TRLabs industrial member
• Selection Committee members will be announced once the award
selections have been made
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14. DTC Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
• The problem (i.e. project description)
• Who currently has the problem (i.e. target market)
• The proposed solution
• The scientific merit of the solution
• Marketability of the proposed solution
• Alternative technical and/or market approaches to solve the problem
• Technical and/or financial implications
• Technical and market risks
• Capital needed to develop the solution
• Project team's distinct advantage
• Capabilities and assets being leveraged
• Project team qualifications
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15. DTC Award Management
• As both individual and team submissions are acceptable, and as the breakdown
of the award is at the discretion of the Selection Committee, on winning a DTC
award, award recipients will be notified as to the:
• Annual amount of the award
• Breakdown of the annual amount by team member
• Allocations for special resource requirements
• Duration of the award
• Award funds will be provided to the recipient's University and in turn the
Graduate Studies Department will issue payment to the student(s)
• Award recipients must provide TRLabs with quarterly project status reports,
become a member of the Emerging Technology Forum, and, in the absence of
confidentiality or IP concerns, present their final results at a TRLabs seminar
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16. DTC Confidentiality & IP
Confidentiality and Publication
• Submission abstracts may be published. All other submission details will
be kept confidential and considered proprietary
• Although publication is encouraged, the dissemination, exchange and
publication of information developed under a DTC award may be delayed
to allow for time to negotiate an IP agreement or complete a patent
application
IP Policy
• Specific to the DTC, TRLabs will fund R&D in exchange for first rights of
refusal on the opportunity to license any arising IP that may be of interest
to its members
• All negotiated arrangements will naturally exclude work done under a GPL
and not inhibit use of the IP for research and educational purposes
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17. Thank you
Questions ?