Organization: Government of Canada

NGen joins $10-million effort to bolster manufacturing capacity for a COVID-19 vaccine

The NGen supercluster has awarded $27 million in funding for 12 advanced manufacturing projects that can supply critical health care products to combat COVID-19. The funding includes $5 million for Providence Therapeutics and partner Northern RNA to establish manufacturing capacity in Calgary for Providence’s made-in-Canada vaccine.

Opinion: Leveraging Canada’s agri-food system to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050

Canada’s agri-food system can help the nation achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by providing either a source of renewable energy or “negative” emissions, Adekunbi Adetona and Dr. (PhD) David Layzell say in an opinion leader column. Innovative approaches, incentives and supportive government policy will be needed to use residual agricultural biomass to help reduce emissions, they say.

The Short Report – Feb. 3, 2021: Corporations partner on rapid COVID testing for employees, Conestoga launches national institute for senior care, Lakeland offers Canada’s first AgriTech degree, and more

A consortium of some of Canada’s biggest corporations launch a pilot project offering workers rapid COVID-19 testing; Conestoga College prepares to launch a national institute dedicated to senior care; Lakeland College offers Canada’s first two-year Agricultural Technology program this fall, and more.

The Short Report – Jan 27, 2021: Clinical trials for first made-in-Canada vaccine begin; a first-of-its-kind carbon capture cement study launches in Edmonton, and more.

The federal government invests in protecting the endangered North Atlantic right whale; a Canadian-led social media movement aims to stop the spread of misinformation around COVID-19; University Health Network study shows full dose blood thinners decrease need for life support in COVID-19 patients, and a new report says Canada’s PhD students face persistent barriers applying skill sets.

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.