Biotech entrepreneur Clarissa Desjardins secures funding to develop drugs for rare diseases, the EU creates a multi-billion dollar fund to reduce dependence on foreign tech giants, CPC MP Michelle Rempel Garner tables a private member bill to attract investment in cryptoassets, and more.
Organization: Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship
Government ‘can and should pick winners’ to grow scale-up companies, says federal advisor
In a recent report for the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship, Sheldon Levy, special advisor to the federal minister of small business and export promotion, argued that government should identify and support select firms with high potential to become global competitors. “There are many countries that have to pick their laneway and can’t be the best at everything all the time,” Levy told Research Money.
Superclusters doing “good things” for Canada’s innovation ecosystem despite criticisms, says former federal deputy minister
The superclusters should be assessed by a broad innovation policy framework and with a longer time frame than their initial five-year mandate, says John Knubley, the former deputy minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada who was responsible for the creation of the superclusters initiative.
The Short Report – March 3, 2021: A report on inclusive innovation, an urban health research network, a potential DARPA for Canada, and more
The Brookfield Institute and the Munk School of Global Affairs produce an online tool to monitor data and analysis of Canada’s inclusive innovation system; U of T and Denmark’s Novo Nordisk A/S invest $40 million on supporting healthier urban populations and finding solutions for chronic illnesses, and more.
The Short Report, June 19, 2019 – Research chairs, cybersecurity, Strategic Innovation Fund
Science and Sports minister Kirsty Duncan has announced over $275 million for 346 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 52 institutions across Canada. It was the most gender diverse competition yet: 47% women, 22% visible minorities, 5% persons with disabilities, and 4% Indigenous peoples. The Canada Foundation for Innovation is contributing another $5.2 million…
The Short Report, June 5, 2019 – McMaster endowment, AI, timber research, green jet fuel
BDC Capital has launched the $250-million Industrial Innovation Venture Fund to invest in early to late stage tech firms and entrepreneurs accelerating the transformation of core Canadian industries including ag-tech, advanced manufacturing, oil and gas and mining tech. Venture capital veteran Joe Regan joins as the fund’s managing partner. “Industrial sectors tend to be slow…