Author: Veronica Silva

Liberals enact new measures pushing for greater diversity in science

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The Liberal government is pushing for more diversity and inclusion in science and engineering, even to the point of threatening to cancel some funding to universities that don’t support the agenda. At the recent Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) held in Ottawa, Science minister Kirsty Duncan announced a number of initiatives to encourage equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

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Universities Canada finds ally in public to support Naylor agenda

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A recent survey of public perception about university research is overwhelming positive. So encouraging are the results that Universities Canada, which commissioned the survey, is hoping it can get the public to rally behind them to press the government for more funding for university research.

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Canadian VC investment strategy hurting VCs and Canadian innovation: Report

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Innovation in Canada will be seriously compromised unless domestic venture capitalists start throwing  big bucks into Canadian firms, suggests a new report. Big funding is one of the secrets of success of US firms, whether in Silicon Valley, or in other technology hubs in the rest of the US. In contrast, it is a challenge to get large funding tranches from Canadian VCs.

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Colleges, polytechnics say time is right to boost funding for applied research

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Polytechnics and colleges are once again making the case for what they say is a fair share of funding for applied research. In their pre-Budget submissions to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, Polytechnics Canada, and Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) are asking to double the funding made available to applied research in previous Budgets.

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Sunsetting and former NCEs thrown potential new lifeline in latest competition

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A long-standing grievance that has plagued the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) since its creation 28 years ago is finally being addressed in the tri-agency’s latest funding competition. For the first time ever, the NCE is allowing former networks to compete alongside new networks for funding. Up for grabs is $75 million for over five years with the option to renew.

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Report calls for data-driven approach to government investing to grow world-class Canadian firms

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A report from the University of Toronto’s Impact Centre is calling for a data-driven approach to maximizing the government’s investments in Canadian firms and growing them to be world-class. The report — Government Venture Capital: Can the Public Sector Pick and Nurture World Class Companies? — says that the strategy for venture capital investments of the Canadian government is not to simply copy what venture capitalists in Silicon Valley are doing.

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Aquaculture and energy firms team up to bid for oceans supercluster in Atlantic Canada

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Atlantic Canada has taken the next logical step in its decade long effort to build a regional expertise in oceans technology with the formation of an industry-led consortium that is vying to become one of a handful of federally funded innovation superclusters. Petroleum Research Newfoundland and Labrador (PRNL) and Clearwater Seafoods Inc have submitted a letter of intent to the federal government in a joint bid for supercluster funding.

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