Author: Mark Henderson

This week marks the end of a key chapter in Canadian genomics research with the departure of Dr. Pierre Meulien. After five years as president and CEO of Genome Canada and three and a half years as chief scientific officer (CSO) of Genome British Columbia, Meulien is heading to Brussels to take the helm of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI).

Policy void placing damper on growth

Canada’s vibrant clean tech industry urgently requires federal leadership and policy direction if it is to avoid being overtaken by other nations, concludes a new report on the sector.

Mitacs and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) have struck a new agreement to offer unprecedented access for industry-facing research. The memorandum of understanding will see the two organizations’ work towards establishing a one-stop shop for companies and researchers seeking to move knowledge and talent into the marketplace.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has announced $333 million in new investments through its Innovation Fund ($256 million) and $77 million in related operating funds pegged at 30%. The IF is the CFI’s largest funding program although the latest announcement was smaller than previous rounds and is the last competition prior to the Budget’s announcement of $1.

By Debbie Lawes

Grand Challenges Canada is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the federal government’s $3.5-billion commitment to maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). International Development minister Christian Paradis announced June 12 that GCC would receive $161 million over 10 years (2015-2025) to test and scale up GCC-funded innovations that will have the greatest impact on maternal and child survival in developing countries.

Initial report released

Technology foresight is playing an increasingly important role in determining where the National Research Council (NRC) will allocate its spending 20 to 30 years in the future.

Operational funding biggest obstacle

By Debbie Lawes

Canada has regained its global leadership in Arctic science following decades of decline but that recovery could be short-lived without stable funding for the country’s research icebreaker and a renewed commitment to northern research when the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence ends in 2018.

As multinational enterprises (MNEs) go, so goes Canada’s economy. This truism takes on particular relevance when considering anecdotal evidence from a host of business, research and government leaders that the Canadian subsidiaries of MNEs are losing the battle for global product mandates.

Canada appears to have a healthy entrepreneurship culture but the all-important area of entrepreneurship within corporations is weak, according to a new report by The Centre for Innovation Studies (The CIS), based in Calgary.

Third joint Max Planck centre in North America

World-leading expertise in photonics research at the Univ of Ottawa has attracted a joint research centre with the Max Planck Society (MPS) that will see the university partner with two MPS research centres to pursue fundamental and applied research.