On Thursday, September 17, 2009, Dehnel Particle Accelerator Components and Engineering, Inc. (D-Pace) was recognized as a Canadian Innovation Leader by the Government of Canada. Mr. Drew de Kergommeaux, Director - Pacific Region, NRC, presented the company with a Canadian Innovation Leader Certificate (CIL) in acknowledgement of its role in researching, developing, supplying, and commercializing products and services for the international commercial accelerator industry, linking scientific research to commercialization, jobs, and economic growth. Also in attendance were Mr. Bruce Hardy, local NRC Industrial Technology Advisor and D-Pace institutional collaborator Dr. Neil Coburn, Dean of Arts & Sciences, Selkirk College.
From left: Mr. Drew de Kergommeaux, Morgan Dehnel, Kent Dehnel, Kurt Dehnel, Thomas Stewart,
Bruce Hardy, Charity Marshall, and Jeff Martin. Not pictured: Joe Theroux and Tue Christensen.
D-Pace - a TRIUMF spin-off company - was founded in 1995 by Dr. Morgan Dehnel after he completed his doctoral studies at TRIUMF and the University of British Columbia. Based out of Nelson, BC, this technology firm specializes in complete beam-line system designs and charged-particle transport systems, as well as components for cyclotrons, ion implanters, and linear accelerators. In 2001, D-Pace began the successful commercialization of TRIUMF-licensed ion source, target, and detector technologies and now sells them internationally.
Each year, the National Research Council (NRC) recognizes as Canadian Innovation Leaders a selection of small or medium-sized enterprises that demonstrate specific advances in research and development within their industrial sectors. Other recent recipients of the CIL include Vecima Networks Inc., Infonium Inc., Advanced Water Technologies, Systèmes d'Énergie et Propulsion EPS Inc., and OmniGlobe Networks.
In a recent NRC News Release, Dr. Dehnel acknowledged the role that the Government of Canada and D-Pace's partners such as Ion Beam Systems, Inc., TRIUMF, and Cyclomedical play in the company's success story. "The financial support we receive from NRC-IRAP, together with our strategic partnerships, are helping our company design, develop, and manufacture innovative and cutting-edge products and services for the commercial industry worldwide."
This isn't the first time that D-Pace has been recognized for its impressive strides in development and commercialization. In 2007, D-Pace and TRIUMF received the 2007 NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation for small- and medium-sized enterprises. The award recognized the outstanding achievements made in research and development by this unique university-industry collaboration.
"The D-Pace and TRIUMF partnership," said Dr. Nigel Lockyer, Director of TRIUMF, "is a great example of how fundamental research investments can be used to bolster the Canadian economy in the high-tech sector. This recent recognition of D-Pace as a Canadian Innovation Leader speaks to the importance of these kinds of investments in stimulating the advancement of science and technology in Canada and the benefits they can provide to both the local and national economy."
TRIUMF congratulates D-Pace on its most recent achievement and looks forward to even greater successes as the firm continues to excel.
By: Meghan Magee, Communications Assistant
Based on NRC News Release "Emerging Technologies Thrive in Canada: Canada's Government recognizes D-Pace as a Canadian Innovation Leader"