Robert Faulder
Regional Director
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- Full Name
- Robert W. Faulder
- Title
- Executive Director / (Acting) Director General, NRC IRAP – Prairies
- Firm
- National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)
- Firm Type
- Government innovation-funding and advisory agency (non-dilutive grants and advisory support) — not a private angel investor. *Note: the "Angel Investors / Seed Round" label in the source stub appears to be an aggregator mis-classification; NRC IRAP provides non-dilutive government contributions, not equity.*
- Investment Stage
- Early-stage to growth-stage Canadian SMEs (technology commercialization), via non-dilutive funding rather than equity rounds
- Check Size
- Not publicly disclosed for him individually; NRC IRAP project contributions typically range from small advisory-level amounts up to several hundred thousand dollars, with larger accelerated projects reaching into the millions (varies by project — not verified for a specific figure)
- Target Company Profile
- Incorporated, for-profit Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (generally ≤500 employees) pursuing technology-driven innovation and commercialization
- Sector Focus
- Sector-agnostic technology innovation; strong historical exposure to photonics/advanced manufacturing through his role at the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre
- Geographic Focus
- Canadian Prairies — Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Background
Robert Faulder is a long-serving executive within the National Research Council of Canada's Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), Canada's flagship program for helping small and medium-sized technology firms innovate and commercialize. He is based in Calgary and has led IRAP's regional delivery across the Prairies, holding roles including Director for the Calgary/Alberta region and (Acting) Director General, IRAP Prairies — the region covering Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories. In these capacities he oversees teams of Industrial Technology Advisors who provide both advisory support and non-dilutive financial contributions to eligible Canadian SMEs.
Earlier in his NRC career, Faulder served as Director General of the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC), NRC's dedicated pure-play compound-semiconductor and photonics foundry in Ottawa, giving him deep operational experience in advanced manufacturing and deep-tech commercialization. His trajectory from a research-facility director-general role into regional IRAP leadership reflects a career spanning both the technical/facility side and the program-delivery side of Canada's federal innovation system.
Faulder holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alberta. Public government directories (GEDS/goc411) list him within NRC's IRAP-PARI organizational unit, consistent with a senior regional management position in the program.
NRC IRAP itself operates through more than 250 field staff across roughly 130 offices in Canada, delivering "tailored services, local delivery" to businesses, often co-located with universities, colleges, and regional innovation partners. Faulder's mandate sits at the intersection of that field network and the Prairie innovation ecosystem.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Works through non-dilutive government funding (cost-shared contribution agreements) plus hands-on advisory support, rather than taking equity — a key distinction from an angel or VC.
- Focus is on for-profit, incorporated Canadian SMEs with a technology or innovation project and the ambition/capacity to commercialize and grow.
- Regional mandate centered on the Prairies and Northwest Territories; funding decisions are executed locally through Industrial Technology Advisors (ITAs).
- Strong affinity for deep tech, advanced manufacturing, and photonics/semiconductors, informed by his leadership of the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre.
- What gets a "yes" from IRAP: a credible innovation project, technical and management capacity to execute, a clear path to commercial outcomes and jobs, and appropriate cost-sharing by the firm.
Notable Investments
- Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) — NRC's photonics/compound-semiconductor foundry (Ottawa); Faulder served as its Director General, supporting Canadian photonics device fabrication and commercialization.
- NRC IRAP – Prairies portfolio — as regional director, oversees non-dilutive funding to hundreds of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and NWT SMEs; individual company names are not part of the public record.
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