Author: Lindsay Borthwick

New laws and regulations urgently needed to address AI risks, say experts

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Canadian policymakers have been very influential in promoting responsible artificial intelligence (AI) globally, according to experts participating in the third annual AICan meeting. But as the development, deployment and use of autonomous systems accelerates, Canada urgently needs new laws and regulations to ensure they benefit everyone.

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New software tool aims to be “one-stop shop” for COVID-19 recommendations

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Researchers at McMaster University, along with an international team of collaborators, have launched a freely accessible living map of COVID-19 guidelines. In developing the electronic platform, their goal  is to help decision-makers quickly access and use the best-available scientific advice related to the pandemic from around the world. 

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R&D focused on underwater vessel noise key to protecting Canada’s whales

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A new marine acoustic research station near Rimouski, Quebec—a first of its kind in Eastern Canada—has been funded by Transport Canada to address a major threat to St. Lawrence Estuary’s marine mammals: underwater vessel noise. It is the latest in a string of investments through the Quiet Vessel Initiative, a 5-year, $26-million national program to advance research and development and deployment of quiet vessel solutions.

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CANARIE’s research software development team program goes national

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Research software is an increasingly critical part of the discovery process in science today. A new national program from CANARIE is funding the creation of six local teams across the country—from Simon Fraser University to Université Laval—exclusively focused on research software development.

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Regional hydrogen nodes could accelerate Canada’s energy transition

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The Greater Edmonton Region has the right ingredients to become Canada’s first hydrogen node and tap into a wholesale market potential of up to $100 billion per year, says a new report from Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force. On the heels of the report, Ontario kickstarted the development of a provincial hydrogen strategy, which is expected to be released in 2021.

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New partnerships help nanotech startups access Japanese market

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A new partnership between the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology and Landing Pad Tokyo will help Canadian startups accelerate the development of their technologies and break into the Japanese market—the world’s third largest national economy.

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CanCOVID model could transform how research responds to future crises

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COVID-19 has brought about new models of research coordination and knowledge mobilization that could endure long after the pandemic subsides. One of those models is CanCOVID—a virtual network where researchers, clinicians and healthcare professionals can communicate with each other in real time, and with industry and policymakers. Launched by Canada’s Departmental Science Advisor Network, it could transform Canada’s response to future crises.

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Translational research on spinal cord injury receives $48-million award from DARPA

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Canadian researchers are a core part of an international consortium of universities, startups and nonprofit organizations that has received a $48-million, 5-year grant from DARPA focused on improving paralysis in patients who have suffered acute spinal cord injury. Dr. Brian Kwon, MD, a spine surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury and professor of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia, is leading the Canadian team.

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