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Home > About Us > News Room > News Releases > TRLabs Appoints Director of Saskatchewan Operations TRLabs Appoints Director of Saskatchewan Operations
December 20, 2007 -- Regina - TRLabs today announced the appointment of Dave Schroeder as Director Saskatchewan Operations. The appointment is effective immediately.
"Dave will be instrumental in moving the yardsticks forward on our research and development activity in Saskatchewan," says TRLabs President and CEO Dr. Roger Pederson. "The work we are doing in Saskatchewan on Connected Media - innovation in network intelligence, personalized services, and wireless that makes networks more seamless and dynamically responsive to individual preferences and needs - is fundamental to strengthening our industry relationships and aligning our services to the marketplace."
Pederson notes that the days of the simple goal of connecting people to networks are gone. With most people connected, consumers are demanding a quality of network experience that industry is moving to achieve with increased focused on applications and services. TRLabs has recognized this shift with a re-design of its research program around three key emerging markets: eHome; eHealth; and Connected Media. "Lifestyle, convenience, and productivity is the new triple play in today's ICT market," says Pederson.
TRLabs' new motto - Fast Tracking Innovation to Market - is at the centre of TRLabs' recent initiative to position the organization to deliver enhanced service and value to its members in a world where product development cycles are accelerating and the competition is fierce. That has translated to: shorter-term, industry-directed research, development and commercialization activity; training more diverse and entrepreneurial brain-power; and serving as an R&D pathfinder for companies by making new connections with academia, other companies, and in the international arena. TRLabs has revised its membership structure to lower barriers to participation in R&D activity, particularly for SMEs. Subscribed research activity has been introduced to create opportunity for industry to pursue shorter-term research of interest to specific industry members. TRLabs has also created an industry-led Research Advisory Board, and Research Focus groups, to drive industry-relevancy.
The strengthening of the service offering to industry is designed to accelerate commercialization rates for TRLabs' academic partners, and to generate economic development for its federal and provincial government partners via technology innovation and training of graduate students.
Secondment is a traditional source of personnel on TRLabs' executive team, strengthening industry relationships via active operational involvement in TRLabs.
About Dave Schroeder
Prior to his secondment to TRLabs, Dave held several positions within the Technology division of SaskTel. Most recently he was the Director of Research and Development where he was responsible for establishing a Corporate technology research program to investigate new lines of business. In addition, he was also the Director of Multi-media Design & Development and SaskTel's technology prime on the Service Development Team where he was responsible for the assessment, development and implementation of new product and service opportunities.
Dave is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan in Electrical Engineering. He has been with SaskTel for 27 years and has held a number of Engineering and Management positions in areas of technology strategic planning and standardization, and customer network architecture planning and design. Dave has an extensive understanding of the telecommunications industry and the urgency with which it must embrace change. As such, he has played a major role in creating corporate strategies for innovation, technology, diversification, and growth.
About TRLabs Saskatchewan
TRLabs Saskatoon (est. 1992) employs 46 researchers and graduate students in the Connected Media research theme.
TRLabs Regina (est. 1996) employs 20 researchers and graduate students in the Connected Media and eHome research themes.
TRLabs' success at contributing to the growth of Saskatchewan's ICT industry has included training of 160 Masters and Ph.D. students in Computer and Electrical Engineering, and generation of 2 patent filings and the production of 13 industry-commercialized technologies in the last five years. Graduates remaining in Saskatchewan reached 50% during the last three years.
TRLabs member partners in Saskatchewan are SaskTel, Access Communications, iQmedx Software, Innovative Cardiac Care, Interactive Tracking Systems (Itracks), Marketel Multi-Line Dialing Systems, SED Systems, SIAST, Vecima Networks, and the federal and provincial governments, respectively through Western Economic Diversification Canada and Saskatchewan Industry and Resources.
About TRLabs
TRLabs fast tracks innovation to market by creating innovative technologies, training students, and working with its partners to accelerate technology commercialization. Labs in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, and Winnipeg employ 200. With 59 partner members representing a unique synergy of industry, government, and university, technology and applications research focuses on three research themes: Connected Media; eHealth; and eHome. In its 21-year existence, TRLabs has trained 865 highly skilled university graduates, created 330 technologies adopted for use by companies, and generated 76 patents issued or filed.