Author: Debbie Lawes

By Debbie Lawes

The first shoe has dropped in the federal government’s plan to implement “bold and innovative ideas” to boost Canada’s lacklustre productivity and competitiveness, with some innovation players cautiously optimistic that the country may finally be on the right path.

By Debbie Lawes

“Punitive” tax rules and a dearth of early stage investment capital are making it difficult for many tech start-ups to recruit top talent and grow into sustainable companies. The National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) has been taking that message to senior bureaucrats and politicians as part of a lobbying campaign — the largest to date for the 14-year-old group — aimed at growing Canada’s funding ecosystem.

By Debbie Lawes

British Columbia’s $8.3-million investment this month in next-generation genomics equipment represents the final tranche in a $58-million collaboration that moves Canada’s academic sector into the global top five for DNA sequencing.

First award under TDP

By Debbie Lawes

Canada has funded the first collaboration under its Technology Demonstration Program (TDP), nearly three years since launching and three and a half years after a federally commissioned panel warned that Canada will lose its position as a global aerospace power without new investments.

R$ Conference

By Debbie Lawes

Canada’s innovation ecosystem is about to get a lot cozier, and according to the experts who spoke at this year’s RE$EARCH MONEY conference, that’s not only a good thing — it’s also long overdue.

By Debbie Lawes

When Finance minister Bill Morneau stands tomorrow to deliver his first Budget, science and technology watchers will be anxious to see how the Liberal party follows through on commitments to make research and innovation a central focus of its economic agenda.

By Debbie Lawes

Is half a billion dollars too big a budget ask to cure chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s that account for the bulk of Canada’s health care costs? It’s a tantalizing prospect for a strained healthcare system, and one a private-sector led coalition suggests is within reach if the Trudeau government, health charities and industry join forces in an unprecedented $1.