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Canadian private non-profit organizations (PNPOs) are expected to perform $158 million in R&D in 2015, a 1.3% decline from an estimated $160 million in 2014. The amount includes intramural R&D spending ($146 million) and capital outlays of $12 million.

Plummeting oil prices have killed an Alberta endowment for agricultural research less than a year after it was announced with great fanfare. The beleaguered provincial government has eliminated the Alberta Future Fund.

Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation

A new report on the first five years of a research strategy for industry-academic collaboration indicates that the suite of programs created by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) is resulting in an unprecedented number of joint projects and activities, many of which have evolved into long-term relationships.

Toronto’s financial services sector is tapping into Ontario’s high-tech expertise to address growing challenges and gain competitive advantage. The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA) have entered a collaborative agreement that will see financial firms partner with academic-based researchers and tech companies to develop common intellectual property (IP) and new spin-offs.

Canadian private non-profit organizations (PNPOs) are expected to perform $158 million in R&D in 2015, a 1.3% decline from an estimated $160 million in 2014. The amount includes intramural R&D spending ($146 million) and capital outlays of $12 million.

It’s been a decade of highs and lows as science and technology struggles to position itself as a key component of the federal government’s — and Canada’s — priority agenda. High international rankings for science have earned Canadian researchers well-deserved praise for exploring the frontiers of several key fields.

Plummeting oil prices have killed an Alberta endowment for agricultural research less than a year after it was announced with great fanfare. The beleaguered provincial government has eliminated the Alberta Future Fund.

RE$EARCH MONEY Conference 2015
Early-Bird Registration is now open for the 14th Annual RE$EARCH MONEY Conference.

Budget 2015: Canada’s Innovation Agenda — Building on our Natural Resources

Advantage will expand and deepen our analysis of implications of recent federal budgets for business innovation support and examine Canada’s innovation agenda through the lens of Canada’s traditional areas of strength, the natural resource sectors.

Two-stage announcement process

Health research dominated the latest competition for classic Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) winning four new networks out of a field of 10 full proposals. Details of two of the four new NCEs were announced December 15th, with details on the remaining two expected in January (see chart page 2).

Among a flurry of late-year venture capital fund and funding announcements is a $10-million investment in Northern Biologics — one of the first made by the $305-million Versant Ventures V LP fund. Northern Biologics was incubated by and spun out of Toronto-based Blueline Biosciences (in which Versant is an investor) and has struck a collaborative relationship with Celgene Corp, Summit NJ, which holds the option to purchase Northern Biologics in the future.