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reports and analyses of the forces driving science and technology investment in Canada
editor: Mark Henderson How it looks to me.... by Mark Henderson FEATURE REPORTS | RESEARCH BRIEFS | PERSONALITIES How it looks to me.... by Mark Henderson, editor, RE$EARCH MONEY The challenge of strengthening the basic research platform of Canadian biomedical research has been thrown over to the federal government, following the release of a strategy paper detailing a provocative range of funding initiatives (see lead story). Using public-private partnership as a conduit for pumping much-needed dollars into university research, it hinges on changes to tax legislation and a temporary boost in federal funding to kick-start a new era in discovery and commercialization. It won't be easy for the government to comply. Requesting $2,500 million over the next 10 years for a sector with an extremely low public profile is a gutsy demand, as is the request to model tax incentives on those that currently apply to the resource sector. In an era of fiscal restraint and shrinkage within the public sector, implementing changes that go against the flow requires political determination and vision; qualities this government has failed to consistently demonstrate when dealing with basic research. The strategy delivered to an international gathering last week isn't perfectly honed document, nor was it meant to be. But as a basis for discussion and policy development, its importance shouldn't be ignored. Government decision-makers must weight the cost of implementing such a strategy against the consequences of inaction, particularly in a competitive global environment in which all other players are increasing funding to their basic research envelopes.
FEATURE REPORTS...
PAPER CALLS FOR DRAMATIC CHANGES TO FUNDING OF BASIC
INNOVATIVE ALBERTA PROJECT AIMS AT BRIDGING FINANCING
REPORT SLAMS FEDERAL ADHERENCE
TR LABS CONCLUDES DEALS TO
UNIVERSITY GROUPS PUSH GOVERNMENT TO INCLUDE RESEARCH
WORKING VENTURES ANNOUNCES FINANCING
C-CORE HELPS CREATE ENVIRONMENTAL TEST FACILITY
RESEARCH BRIEFS
NorTel and Call-Net agree to initial LMCS research project Northern Telecom and Call-Net Communications Inc have agreed to a three-month joint research project to study the capabilities of local multipoint communications systems (LMCS) -- an emerging broadband wireless communications technology in the 28 Gigahertz spectrum. The firms could expand their alliance if Call-Net is awarded a national LMCS licence from Industry Canada later this year. The future R&D programs would form part of Call-Net's commitment to spend $40 million on R&D over a 10-year period, as part of a $1,000-million investment into an LMCS network. If successful, LMCS could become a serious alternative to telephone lines, fibre optics and coax television cable. LMCS is high-speed, digital and has potential applications in the areas of business, electronics commerce, medicine, education, entertainment and personal communications....
Boehringer Engelheim Canada site of new IT centre Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd (BICL) has won the right to provide information technology (IT) support for the parent firm's nine North American locations from its Burlington ON headquarters. German-based Boehringer Engelheim International named its Canadian subsidiary as the site for a continent-wide information technology Centre of Excellence, entailing a $10-million investment over five years. The Centre will consolidate all North American IT operations pertaining to customer service, finance, distribution, and technological pharmaceutical manufacturing. The Burlington operation was chosen over several sister operations on the basis of skilled labour availability, infrastructure stability, cost and experience with business planning and control system programs. The Centre is expected to create 21 permanent, high skilled jobs and after an initial investment of $0.5 million, will cost $2.8 million annually to operate after it reaches full functionality in 1999. In FY95, BICL spent $32.1 million on R&D, or 37.7% of sales, as estimated by the Patented Medicines Prices Review Board. Canadian operations employ approximately 500 personnel....
Eli Lilly opens new R&D facility in Scarborough Eli Lilly Canada Inc has officially opened its new R&D centre in Scarborough, which will house the firm's expanded R&D division, the Lilly Laboratory for Analytical Research, and the Lilly Analytical Research Laboratory. Eli Lilly Canada won the bid to construct the centre over sister operations around the world, and represents the centrepiece of its new investment plan. That plan includes an increased share of global R&D spending, upgrading and modernizing its manufacturing operations and hiring additional researchers (R$, May 11/94). In other news, Eli Lilly Canada Inc has halted clinical trials of its new heart drug following positive interim phase data that show it reduces the incidence of heart attack and death following angioplasty by 59%. ReoPro was developed to be administered immediately following angioplasty procedure, in which a catheter is inserted into an arm or leg and advanced to the heart. ReoPro is produced by Dutch-based Centocor BV and is the first drug to be brought to market in the GPIIb/IIIa class....
Inflazyme completes rights offering to fund clinical trials Vancouver's Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd has completed a $5.1 million rights offering and will use the proceeds to initiate clinical trials for two of its drugs. Phase I and II trials of the anti-asthma Apanol should be complete by January, while Phase I trials of the anti-arthritis Bispan will begin. The biopharmaceutical firm anticipates entering into a joint venture with a major pharmaceutical firm to co-develop Bispan, as well as initiating research programs for the pre-clinical optimization of several of its anti-inflammatory drugs. The offering raised $3.2 million, with an additional $1.9 million expected once warrants are exercised. The rights offering was 45% oversubscribed....
Biotech secures NIH clinical trial grant for kidney drug Biotech Inc has been awarded a US$1.36 million clincal research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda MD to test the effectiveness of its Synsorb Pk treatment in children with kidney damage. Dr Howard Trachtman of the Schneider Children's Hospital of Long Island, is the recipient of the grant and principal investigator. Biotech is currently in Phase III trials for Sunsorb Pk to investigate its efectiveness in preventing kidney damage from a bacterium called E. coli 0157:H7....
ISTC develops technology to allow multi-orbit satellites The Institute for Space and T7errestrial Sciences (ISTC) has developed satellite attitude sensor (SAS) technology that will allow satellites to operate in a wide range of orbits. SAS has no moviing parts and uses uncooled microbolometer detectors and an engineering model is currently undergoing proof-of-principle testing. A prototype should be ready for a late-1998 launch....
Dalhousie purchases medical software from Nfld firm Dalhousie Univ has purchased medical software for use at its Environmental health Clinic from Specialist Solutions (SS), a young St Johns NF-based firm created with funding from the private sector and the provincial and federal governments. SS was capitalized with $1.4 million over two years, with $800,000 coming from the firm's principals and $256,000 from Newfoundland's Development and Rural Renewal department and the former Enterprise Newfoundland and Labrador Corp. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency also assisted in the financing. Healthdesk automates patient records, prescriptions, referrals and billing for hospitals and clinics and is being touted as an example of the potential information technology (IT) holds for the economically disadvantaged province. There are now approximately 75 Newfoundland-based IT firms in operation, employing 1,000 people and generating $100 million in sales....
PERSONALITIES
Alan Nymark has left Industry Canada to assume the position of associate deputy minister with Health Canada. He replaces Richard Van Loon, who departed to become president of Carleton Univ. While at Industry Canada, Nymark held the position of assistant deputy minister, industry and science policy. Those duties are now being fulfilled by David Tobin, formerly director general corporate governance....Cameron Battley has been appointed VP Veritas Communications after serving one year as senior director of the health care communications consulting firm. Battley was previously communications director of Eli Lilly Canada responsible for corporate and product communications and federal relations.... Dr Bruce Clark has been appointed as VP scientific affairs at Sanofi Winthrop Canada Inc. He was previously director of regulatory affairs at Glaxo Wellcome Canada. Clark received a PhD from the Univ of Toronto and has gained a broad range of drug development experience including clinical research and professional communications.... Northern Telecom president and CEO Jean Monty has been named International Business Executive of the Year by the Academy of International Business, a 27-year-old organization with 3,000 members in more than 60 countries. Previous recipients include Akio Morita, Sony Corp; Walter Wriston, Citicorp; Takuma Yamamoto, Fujitsu; and, Armand Hammer, Occidental Petroleum Co.... Dr Calvin Stiller, CEO Canadian Medical Discoveries Corp (CMDC), has been selected as the Ernst & Young Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year. CMDC is the administator of the Canadian Medical Discoveries Fund, a popular and active labour-sponsored venture capital fund. Stiller was chosen over Dr Joseph Paradi, Centre for Management of Technology & Entrepreneurship, Univ of Toronto; and, Jim McCambly, Canadian Federation of Labour president and founder/chairman of Working Ventures Canadian Fund Inc....
Applied PeR$pectivesBuilding with CCNB-INNOV… Relationships that go a Long Way! CCNB-INNOV, the applied research and development arm of CCNB has adapted its range of services to better meet the unique needs of the regional shipbuilding industry.
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