The Liberals latest federal Budget takes aim at Canada’s perennial innovation problem with billions in new funding, including a new $15-billion Canada Growth Fund.
Organization: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
New advanced research agency high on federal innovation minister’s lengthy to do list
Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne is facing a very busy year, with a mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that includes more than 30 assigned tasks. They include establishing a new advanced research projects agency, launching a Canadian critical minerals strategy and a national quantum strategy and creating a global centre of excellence for eliminating methane gas emissions.
Opinion Leader: A Canadian DARPA will need an enabling ecosystem to succeed
As Canada and other countries look to the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a model to drive innovation, it is vital to recognize that DARPA isn’t simply a “plug and play” model but requires a supportive, integrated ecosystem and an enabling culture, says Dr. Camille Boulet, PhD, senior partner at Global Advantage Consulting, in an op-ed.
Biotechnology and engineering biology roadmap plus investment are key to Canada’s economic recovery
The federal government needs to support an inclusive engineering biology ecosystem that leverages Canadian-grown capacities across industry, academia and government, Bettina Hamelin, president and CEO of Ontario Genomics, says in an editorial. Canada needs a comprehensive and aligned roadmap for a public-private partnership and investment strategy to benefit from the increasing opportunities in this emerging sector, she says.
Federal government must improve “catastrophic” innovation performance, say innovation experts and business groups
Innovation experts and business groups are stepping up calls for the federal government to fix a “weak and out of balance” innovation ecosystem. Canada continues to lag other countries in innovation performance and productivity, according to international indexes.
NRC launches collaborative R&D initiatives to boost its contributions to S&T ecosystems
The National Research Council (NRC) has launched more than 200 collaborative R&D projects valued at $93 million, enabling groups of its researchers to develop disruptive technologies alongside researchers from industry, academia and not-for-profits.
Vancouver biotech firm AbCellera wins SIF research funding to fast-track antibody therapies against COVID-19
Vancouver-based biotech firm AbCellera, using its technology spun off research at University of British Columbia, is fast-tracking testing and clinical trials of therapeutic antibodies against COVID-19.
The Short Report – May 15, 2019: Early career awards, cannabis R&D, AI
Minister of Science and Sport Kirsty Duncan has announced the first 157 early career researchers to share $38 million under the recently launched New Frontiers in Research Fund. Each recipient will receive up to $250,000 over the next two years to support international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking and high-risk research. – Newswire Vancouver-based Centre for Drug Research…
Research Money ≠ Research Effort
Expenditure-based measures have been the most successful and best used indicator of innovation to date because the data can be collected with minimal effort and maximum accuracy (not perfect) and interpreted without huge complexities.
Medicago USA receives DARPA endorsement
The US subsidiary of Quebec City-based Medicago Inc has received approval for potential funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The two organizations are completing the final terms and conditions of funding for Medicago USA‘s scalable manufacturing of plant-expressed virus-like particles (VLP) vaccines If successful, the project would be a major breakthrough for…