Organization: Univ of Alberta

iNovia inks agreements with Alberta institutions

iNovia Capital — formerly MSBi Capital — is implementing its strategic plan to expand beyond its Quebec base with a series of collaborative agreements with several academic institutions, primarily in Alberta. The seed and early-stage venture capital fund recently launched its $107-million iNovia Investment Fund II LP and has signed cooperation agreements with AVAC Ltd,…

Feds establish CSA advisory committee

The federal government has created the Advisory Committee on the Canadian Space Agency, a new body formed to provide advice on space and the priorities and overall direction of the CSA. The committee will work with interim CSA president Guy Bujold to advise Industry minister Jim Prentice on current expenditures and the potential for future…

AHFMR awards $59 million for health research

The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) has awarded $59 million to 54 researchers. The recipients will receive the awards over seven years and are considered among the richest and lengthiest health research awards in Canada. The Univ of Alberta received $29 million for 32 of its researchers while 24 researchers at the Univ…

Genome researchers tackle mountain pine beetle

Genome British Columbia and Genome Alberta are providing $4 million for an initial two-year study into the mountain pine beetle, the fungal pathogen it carries and pine trees. Led by Dr Joerg Bohlmann (Univ of British Columbia) and Dr Janice Cooke (Univ of Alberta), the project is expected to expand after the first phase with…

BioMS Medical strikes major deal with Eli Lilly

Edmonton-based BioMS Medical Corp has struck a major licensing and development agreement with Eli Lilly and Co, Indianapolis IN to develop its multiple sclerosis compound. The deal — one of the largest in Canadian history for a single compound — calls for an $87-million upfront payment, development and sales milestone payments of up to $410…

U of A to launch services science research project

A cyber-infrastructure research project to be conducted at the IBM Alberta Centre for Advanced Studies at the Univ of Alberta has received nearly $500,000 in funding. The project will focus on services science to assist firms and other organizations using information technology (IT) to improve service delivery. The project adds services sciences to IBM Centre’s…

U of A begins new science research building

The Alberta government is providing $285 million over three years to construct the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science (CCIS) at the Univ of Alberta. The CCIS will become the flagship building for U of A’s faculty of science. The new “green” building is expected to meet the teaching, research and technology transfer needs of the…

SSHRC project to examine fate of ancient culture

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is investing $2.5 million in a research project to determine the fate of an ancient culture in the Boreal forest region of Siberia. The Univ of Alberta‘s Dr Andrzej Weber has assembled an international team of anthropology, archeology, geography, genetics and climate researchers to excavate the remains…

Alberta signs multifaceted MOU with Hewlett-Packard

Alberta’s annual technology mission to California has produced an MOU with Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto CA, covering three potential research projects worth more than $8 million. The agreement builds upon preliminary discussions held with H-P during the 2005 mission (R$, February 7/05). The proposed projects include: a new data research facility at the Univ of Calgary…

Albert cancer group unveils lab-on-a-chip device

The Alberta Cancer Diagnostic Consortium (ACDC) has developed a prototype lab-on-a-chip handheld device that will initially be used to screen for acute lymphocytic leukemia, a rare form of childhood cancer. The device was developed by the Univ of Alberta’s computer and electrical engineering department using low-cost microfluidic chips and off-the-shelf electronic components. It was unveiled…