Organization: Innovation

Feds beef up clean tech support with $700 million in BDC assistance

Details of the federal government’s $2.3-billion investment in clean tech – unveiled in the 2017 Budget — are emerging with an announcement by Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) of $700 million over five years to allow the federal banker to assume a higher risk profile in its loans to business. The BDC investment is…

Government to consider expansion and greater coordination of digital research infrastructure

Canada’s digital research infrastructure (DRI) is fragmented, oversubscribed and underfunded, according to officials close to the file. Its precarious state compared to competitor nations comes at a time when more and more areas of R&D are becoming digitized and data driven while the size and complexity of data sets are increasing exponentially.

Supercluster contenders must include strategies for confronting the risks in managing diverse interests

Managing different organizations with varying interests and different sizes of financial commitment will require a change in culture for the companies and institutions engaged in the Innovation Supercluster Initiative (ISI) competition. Governance and managing millions of dollars in government funds matched by industry are among the key challenges and risks ISI contenders will face, according to panelists at the recent Canadian Science Policy Conference

New science committee set up to coordinate funding agencies

Ottawa has announced a new committee that will coordinate and support the efforts of research funding agencies to make sure that researchers get the most from the government. The new Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) will coordinate among three federal granting agencies—the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research…

ITU accepts ISARA proposal to develop standard in quantum-safe certification

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) recently accepted the proposal of cybersecurity firm ISARA to support multiple public-key algorithm certificates. The department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) helped make this acceptance possible when it sponsored ISARA’s proposal to the ITU. The certification is a new feature in the next version of X.509 global standard,…

Competition heats up for $950 million in superclusters as government selects nine to submit full proposals

And then there were nine. The federal government has shortlisted nine proposals under its $950-million Innovation Superclusters Initiative (ISI) from more than 50 letters of intent with up to five expected to be awarded funding by the end of FY17-18. The proposals invited to submit full applications span the nation and represent some of Canada’s most advanced tech-based sectors including ocean science, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital technologies.

New bioeconomy framework outlines measures to enhance and expand Canadian expertise, competitiveness

Canada’s forest ministers have produced A Forest Bioeconomy Framework for Canada to leverage the country’s vast biomass reserves and extend their production and deployment far beyond current usage. The report was released in September and unanimously endorsed by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM), which co-authored the document along with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

CSA appointment lauded but debate swirls over scope and breadth of advisory role

Dr Mona Nemer’s appointment as federal chief science advisor (CSA) is receiving rave reviews in science and policy circles. But it has also reignited the debate over whether the new position will represent a significant improvement over past efforts to advise government on important scientific issues, and how this advice will feed into decision making.