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The optimism seems justified. Not only has RevCan committed to giving SR&ED its own dedicated unit and staff, it has upgraded its status within the bureaucracy and indicated a willingness to make several key changes, all with input from a wide range of industry associations.

It's a far cry from the scenario painted by a report submitted to the RevCan minister in May, detailing the frustration SR&ED claimants experienced when they attempted to use the program to offset their R&D expenditures. The report was commissioned by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance in conjunction with seven other industry associations, and it evidently caught the department in an unusually open and responsive mood.

Could the changes spell an end to inconsistent auditing practices? Will long delays in claims processing be reduced? The changes outlined by RevCan indicate they will, and the department is ensuring each step of this remarkable transformation will involve the eyes, ears and opinions of the program's ultimate beneficiaries.

FEATURE REPORTS...

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RESEARCH BRIEFS

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• Sofinov participates in $14.6 M RTP private placement
  
• Microcell establishes third generation testing facility
  
• Pasteur Mérieux building national cancer vaccine network
  
• Newbridge receives $10M in R&D support for NB-based affiliates
  
• Funds to support RADARSAT data applications in Quebec
  
• First round of applications for CFI programs top $1 billion mark
  
• Toronto VC firm teams with local angel for expansion into Ottawa
  
• TPC approves $3.3-million loan to Raytheon Canada
  
• Cobequid creates new subsidiary, enters agreements with Qiagen
  
• CITO doles out $6.2 million in first awards competition
  

Sofinov participates in $14.6 M RTP private placement Sofinov has invested $3.5 million in RTP Pharma Inc as part of a $14.6-million private placement in the developer of drugs using IDD, a water-insoluble drug release technology. The latest Sofinov investment brings the total it has invested in the firm to $8.5 million. The funding will be used to finance RTP's R&D programme and prepare the company for a public offering. IDD is currently being used to extend the useful life of three drugs and enhance their pharmacological properties by using components that are virtually insoluble in water....

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Microcell establishes third generation testing facility Microcell Connexions Inc will establish an advanced testing facility for third generation wireless communications services in collaboration with its GSM alliance partners, and following recent approvals by Industry Canada. Third generation refers to applications for services such as infotainment, videoconferencing, telemedicine, telebanking, electronic commerce and high-speed access to the Internet and intranets. The results and benefits of the research will be shared amongst the alliance partners, a consortium of US and Canadian digital wireless PCS carriers using the GSM standard. Microcell Connexions is a subsidiary of Microcell Telecommunications Inc, one of four national PCS operating license holders....

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Pasteur Mérieux building national cancer vaccine network Pasteur Mérieux Connaught Canada has established the first link in its national cancer vaccine network at the Univ of Manitoba. The U of M node will focus on genetics underlying the progression of breast cancer. Other members of the research network will be announced in the near future. The network is a commitment the firm made when it launched its $350-million, 10-year cancer vaccine research program, with the assistance of a $60-million loan from Technology Partnerships Canada (R$, July 16/97)....

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Newbridge receives $10M in R&D support for NB-based affiliates Newbridge Networks Corp has tapped into $10 million in R&D funding from the government of New Brunswick, two weeks after announcing it is taking a minority stake in Saint John-based Imagic TV Inc for an undisclosed sum. The agreement will see Newbridge invest $10 million over four years in its NB-based affiliates, while the province will match the Newbridge commitment. That includes a $2-million non-repayable grant and an $8-million loan to be repaid via royalties stemming from various R&D projects. ImagicTv is the first recipient of the joint funding program. Over the next four years, Imagic TV, a software developer of technology enabling the delivery of broadcast signals over copper telephone wire, will receive $6.4 million. The firm is 51% owned by Bruncor Inc subsidiary NBTel, with the remainder held by Newbridge and Celtic House International Corp. The latter is a private venture capital firm controlled by Terry Matthews, Newbridge chairman and CEO....

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  Funds to support RADARSAT data applications in Quebec The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Government of Quebec have announced a multifaceted, $6.2-million program for the development of RADARSAT data applications. The agreement calls for the CSA to provide $4 million to the program's various industrial and research projects, which has a secondary objective of upgrading research skills in radar remote sensing at Quebec universities. The latter aspect will be partially funded with contributions from the Fonds pour la Formation des Chercheurs et de l'Aide la Recherche. (FCAR). The program will be jointly administered by the Quebec Ministry of Industry, Trade and Commerce, the Ministry of Natural Resources in conjunction with the CSA and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing. Quebec ministries will be encouraged to adopt earth observation data for their land management, natural resource and environmental requirements....

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  First round of applications for CFI programs top $1 billion mark The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has detailed the response to its first round of competitions with a total of 796 applications requesting nearly $1.2 billion in funding. The bulk of the requests were received through the CFI's Institutional Innovation Fund which received 293 applications requesting $865 million. The Regional/National Facilities program attracted 38 applicants requesting $250 million. Approximately $50 million has been requested by 331 applicants under the New Opportunities Program, while the Institutional Innovation Fund garnered 138 applications for $16 million in funding. The membership of the multidisciplinary committees for each program are being finalized, with the first set of meetings slated for next week to deal with New Opportunities requests, while those responsible for the other programs will meet in September. This summer, the CFI will conduct a client satisfaction survey on its funding application process....

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  Toronto VC firm teams with local angel for expansion into Ottawa Toronto-based venture capital firm McLean Watson Capital (MWC) has joined forces with Ottawa angel investor Michael Potter to establish an Ottawa office to seek out private information technology investment opportunities. The office will leverage Potter's knowledge of the regional IT scene to help expand MWC's Ottawa portfolio. Potter joins MWC's investment advisory board and will be directly involved on the boards of companies in which it has invested. Potter was formerly CEO of Cognos Inc and remains its largest single shareholder. MWC has invested $28 million in private technology companies, including $10 million in Ottawa....

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  TPC approves $3.3-million loan to Raytheon Canada Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) has invested $3.3 million in a project at Raytheon Canada Ltd for the design, development, testing and certification of an S-band solid state air traffic control primary radar. As a result of the loan, up to 80 jobs will be created over the next 10 years at the firm's Waterloo ON facility. Among the radar system's unique features is its ability to handle remote and on-site modifications and configurations....

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  Cobequid creates new subsidiary, enters agreements with Qiagen Toronto-based Cobequid Life Sciences Inc has entered two agreements with Qiagen GmbII. They give Cobequid access to the German firm's proprietary DNA manufacturing technology for gene therapy and genetic vaccination applications and world wide exclusive rights to patents pertaining to DNA vaccines in aquaculture to control viral and bacterial diseases and parasitic infections. Through its new DNA vaccine division, ProGeneSys, Cobequid will use Qiagen's process technology for the purification of nucleic acids to develop DNA vaccines for the aquaculture market. In other news, ProGeneSys has been awarded at $350,000 grant from the NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program. The funds will be used to further develop its Ottawa infrastructure for DNA vaccines and genetic medicines....

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  CITO doles out $6.2 million in first awards competition Communications and Information Technology Ontario has awarded 57 research grants to Ontario universities worth $6.2 million. The projects also have $1.7 million in support from Ontario companies, which also contributed $2 million in in-kind support. The grants mark the first awards by CITO -- an Ontario Centre of Excellence -- since it was formed from the merger of the Information Technology Research Centre and the Telecommunications Research Institute of Ontario (R$, March 26/97)....