Digital Technologies Research Centre

The Digital Technologies Research Centre at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) aims to make digital technologies smarter, more intuitive, and ethically robust by applying data, AI, and advanced computing to solve real-world problems.

About NRC

National Research Council Canada

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) operates a network of 12 research centres across the country, covering a wide variety of fields: aerospace, aquatic and crop resources, automotive and surface transportation, clean energy innovation, construction, digital technologies, astronomy and astrophysics, human health therapeutics, medical devices, metrology, ocean, coastal and river engineering, and quantum and nanotechnologies, among others.

The NRC’s mission is to have an impact by advancing knowledge, applying leading-edge technologies, and working with innovators to find creative, relevant, and sustainable solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Through the cooperation between HIDA and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Helmholtz researchers can now undertake research stays of up to three months at NRC’s renowned research centres across Canada.

Learn more about the Canada Mobility Program

The Digital Technologies Research Centre partners with industry, academia, government and other NRC research centres. Its scope includes artificial intelligence, computer vision, natural language processing, cybersecurity, cryptography, quantum computing, bioinformatics, human-computer interaction, and data analytics. Facilities include high-performance computing (Beatrix), data analytics centres, imaging & graphics labs, cybersecurity and human-computer interaction labs, multilingual text processing, and visualization hubs.

Through collaboration centres (e.g. with universities) and challenge/cluster-programs, the center works across the technology readiness levels to enable innovation, commercialization, and public policy impact.

Learn more!

Expertise in Data Science and AI

Machine learning, deep learning and large-scale data analytics for complex systems and real-time insights
Natural language processing including multilingual and Indigenous languages, text-to-speech, speech recognition and generation
Computer vision and graphics, image processing, simulation, and visualization
Cryptography, quantum computing and cybersecurity for privacy, trust, and secure systems
Responsible and ethical AI: bias mitigation, explainability, inclusiveness, safety, and human-computer interaction

How to Apply

Step 1: First, contact the NRC International Office (contact person: Terrie Romano: munic.nrc-cnrc@international.gc.ca) to discuss the possibility of a research stay. This ensures that your planned stay aligns with the relevant research areas.
Step 2: Next, reach out to a research group at one of the NRC institutes in Canada to plan the details of your stay. If you are unsure which research group might be suitable for you, you may also consult the NRC International Office for guidance.
Step 3: Submit your application through the following application portal.

Apply now!

Step 4: Your application will be reviewed by a selection committee, and you will receive a notification regarding the outcome of your funding decision.

Further information about the application process can be found here.