Two national online platforms, CanCOVID and COVID-19 Resources Canada, have been launched in the span of a few weeks to help organize the research community’s unparalleled response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organization: McGill University
The Short Report, April 15, 2020: Regulators move fast to approve AI-powered x-rays for COVID-19; American lawmakers look askance at Huawei PPE donations; and more
The Fonds de recherche du Québec – santé (FRQS), the Quebec government’s health sciences research arm, will provide $2 million to help create the Centre de Recherche en Biologie Structurale (CRBS) at McGill University. The centre aims to advance understanding of the fundamental biological mechanisms of disease, which could help address medical challenges like targeting treatments to specific…
UPDATE: Incoming McGill research director withdraws after backlash for past charges of discrimination
A sexual discrimination cloud is hanging over Dr. Constantine Stratakis, a top U.S. scientist, who will become the new executive director and chief scientific officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in June.
Survey: Canadian universities are increasingly cutting fossil fuels from their investment portfolios
A growing number of Canadian universities, including some of the country’s largest, are significantly reducing the industrial carbon in their investment portfolios, a R$ survey shows. Less than a handful of universities are divesting specifically from fossil fuel holdings, but many schools also are using a “responsible investing” approach which considers environmental, social and governance factors.
The Short Report, April 1, 2020: EU will integrate COVID-19 stimulus with green transition; researchers team up to share resources and materials in fight against COVID-19; and more
The European Union will adapt its economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in support of the continent-wide Green Deal adopted in December. Europe wants to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through a growth strategy that will “transform its economy and society to put it on a more sustainable path.” In a new statement, EU’s leaders…
The Short Report, February 26, 2020: Transatlantic AI projects; multiplying ocean startups; scaling in the Big Apple
The Short Report: Transatlantic AI projects, ocean startups, new aeronautics centre of excellence, Canadian startups in New York, advancing 5G networks, constructing mass timber buildings, agri-food sustainability, and more.
New consortium of colleges aims to help Canada’s cannabis industry
The Canadian College Consortium for Cannabis will support Canada’s fast-growing but talent-challenged cannabis industry, through training and collaborative applied research.
Scandals spotlight the role of private funding in science
The recent scandals over gifts from the Sackler family and Jeffrey Epstein bring into sharp relief the challenges confronting universities as they seek donors to support scientific research and other programs. They are also a reminder that who funds science matters.
The Short Report, September 4, 2019: Master of Information, ocean protection, beef research
Dalhousie University‘s School of Information Management (SIM) is offering a new title to prospective library studies grad students: Master of Information. The renaming of the Master of Library and Information Studies program reflects changes in the library profession as digital information has become pervasive. The revised program will support more career options related to digital transformation, data…
Patent Collective to give Canadian cleantech firms “freedom to operate”
Canada’s new Patent Collective will reduce the risks of patent infringement claims and other intellectual property issues for SMEs.