Article Type: Generic

An international review panel says support for fundamental research needs to be increased or Canada faces the risk of losing ground to other nations. The panel included the warning in its evaluation of the flagship Discovery Grants Program (DGP) of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) which it deemed to be extremely effective in supporting research in the natural sciences and engineering.

Marijuana research is increasing across the country following the federal government’s decision to establish a new regulatory regime and privatize the plant’s production for medicinal purposes. In recent months, at least one clinical trial has been launched and two of the dozens of companies created to enter the marijuana businesses have struck agreements with researchers in the academic sector.

The ongoing value of government-performed genomics research received a major endorsement with the renewal of the Genomics Research and Development Initiative (GRDI) and funding of $99.5 million over five years.

Strong research base must be leveraged

Canada’s ability to reduce its carbon footprint by leveraging information and communications technologies (ICT) can only be realized by collectively overcoming several pressing challenges, concludes an expert panel report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA).

Global HPC standing deteriorating

Compute Canada is leaving nothing to chance as it prepares to formally apply for urgently needed funds for new high performance computing (HPC) equipment. The national organization for the coordination and design of HPC infrastructure contends that winning the $50-million cyber-infrastructure competition by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is essential for placing Canadian researchers back on par with its international colleagues after suffering serious slippage in recent years.

Dr Reza Moridi, Ontario’s minister of Research and Innovation is adding minister of Training, Colleges and Universities to his responsibilities as part of premier Kathleen Wynne’s new Cabinet, unveiled June 24.

Dr Mario Pinto assumes position in early Fall

Dr Mario Pinto, whose appointment as president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) ends a year-long vacancy, has a few ideas on how to bring a fresh perspective to the position.

The government has selected 15 incubators and accelerators from across Canada to receive up to $180 million in cash and in-kind over the next five years. The support will flow through the Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program (CAIP) – a key component of the $400-million Venture Capital Action Plan (VCAP) unveiled in the 2012 Budget.

Genome Canada is committing $30 million for a large-scale applied research project competition in the agri-food and fisheries/aquaculture sectors, with other co-funding sources pushing the total available to at least $90 million.