Organization: McMaster University

Researchers warn of COVID-19’s outsized impact on women in science

Emerging evidence suggests a dramatic decline in research productivity among female researchers globally, especially those early in their careers who are more likely than their peers to have been juggling homeschooling and other parenting duties since the pandemic began. Academic researchers are sounding the alarm—and calling for swift action. 

The Short Report – May 27, 2020: DMZ and Ryerson Futures merge; Canadian psychedelic research gets boost; CFI launches $25-million competition; progress on a homegrown COVID-19 vaccine; and more

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council has awarded $76 million for 128 new applied research projects at colleges, cégeps and polytechnics. Funded through the tri-agency College and Community Innovation Program and the College-Industry Innovation Fund from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the investments will connect colleges with local companies, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises, to collaborate on projects that further…

The Short Report, May 13, 2020: Public trust in science rising; new COVID-19 advisory councils created; OneEleven ceases operations; and more

COVID-19 NEWS Canadians’ trust in doctors, scientists and the government has increased since the cornovirus pandemic began, finds public opinion polls from January and repeated on May 1 and May 2. Conducted by Proof Strategies CanTrust Index of Ottawa, the survey found that 76% of Canadians trusted doctors and 70% trusted scientists. The follow up…

The Short Report, May 6, 2020: AbCellera receives $175.6M for COVID-19 therapies; Canada contributes $850 million to global pandemic response; new “super angel” fund launches; and more

Vancouver-based AbCellera Biologics will receive up to $175.6 million from the federal Strategic Innovation Fund to fast-track antibody therapies against COVID-19. The funding will also go to build a first-of-its-kind antibody manufacturing facility over the next four years to help Canada respond to future pandemics. AbCellera has partnered with global biopharmaceutical company Eli Lilly to…

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…

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, February 12, 2020: Canada takes a step toward joining Horizon Europe; NSERC funding for basic research takes a dive; Google pursues rapid Canadian expansion

Microsoft is partnering with Invest Ottawa and the Bayview Yards business accelerator to offer technical and business resources to entrepreneurs. Called Microsoft for Startups, the program gives innovative Ottawa companies access to its cloud services, enterprise sales team and partner ecosystem. – Ottawa Matters Canada Infrastructure Bank CEO Pierre Lavallée signalled the bank is considering an investment…

Short Report, February 5, 2020: Most Canadian boards still don’t include women; merit-based grants offer big economic returns; McMaster researchers establish a new form of computing

A StatCan study of Canadian corporations in 2016/17 found that most of their boards didn’t include women: over 60% had no women members. The number of women on boards is growing, but very slowly, say experts. – BNN Bloomberg The University of British Columbia became the first Canadian post-secondary institution to join the Center for Open…

Trudeau’s tree-planting plan could hurt more than it helps

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge to plant two billion trees to help reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions is more complex than it sounds. The effort will need to be carefully planned and executed to ensure the trees not only survive but don’t become a future wildfire hazard, forest experts say.

The Short Report, August 21, 2019: Bio-manufacturing, insurance innovation, women entrepreneurs

The Academic Ranking of World Universities released its list of top 1000 universities worldwide, with four Canadian universities in the top 100: University of Toronto (24), University of British Columbia (35), McGill University (90) and McMaster University (also 90). – ARWU 2019 Genome Ontario has published a proposal to the Strategic Innovation Fund‘s National Ecosystems Stream, to…