Review of relevance and effectiveness of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Program : Review of relevance and effectiveness of the NCE Program : final report

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program was launched in 1989 with the goal to mobilize Canada's research talent in the academic, private and public sectors and apply it to the task of developing the economy and improving the quality of life of Canadians. This report presents the findings from the review of the relevance and effectiveness of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program. The current review is intended to meet the coverage requirements of Treasury Board's Policy on Evaluation and the requirements of Section 42.1 of the Financial Administration Act. In planning and calibrating the review of the NCE program, a number of factors were taken into consideration in determining the approach, including: the longevity of the program, program theory, context and risk, performance measurement data, quality of the existing evaluations, and information needs of management. The review of the NCE program covered the five-year period from fiscal year 2007-2008 to the end of fiscal year 2011-2012. The review examines the relevance and performance of the NCE program including 15 of the 20 networks funded during the study period.