Article Type: Generic

Wild swings in expenditures and incomplete data make the latest Statistics Canada report on scientific and technological activities of the provinces something of a minefield for determining funding trends and highlights.

Examining international opportunities

Green Centre Canada (GCC) is rapidly becoming a major commercialization force to be reckoned with as it implements its unique collaboration-based technology transfer model and prepares to expand internationally.

IRAP for ICT?

A new report says Canadian policy makers need to encourage the formation of a “self-reinforcing virtuous circle” that helps the digital economy to grow and spread throughout all sectors of the economy through the widespread adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT).

Digital Economy Strategy

CANARIE is advocating the creation of an innovation testbed as a key step in rebuilding the organization after an extended period of turmoil. The testbed is included in its submission to the Digital Economy Strategy (DES) consultations and is aimed at restoring CANARIE’s once stellar reputation as a performer of cutting-edge research at the forefront of network evolution, helping to turn around Canada’s information and communications technologies (ICT) research community and opening its network to industry .

CANARIE has joined with four other research and education organizations to call for an integrated digital environment to address the gaps that have arisen in the current Canadian environment. The call for a systemic approach to digital infrastructure was made in a joint submission to the Digital Economy Strategy (DES) consultation on behalf of the academic-based research, innovation and education community.

VisualSonics, a rapidly growing Toronto-based developer and manufacturer of micro ultrasound imaging systems, has been sold to SonoSite Inc, Bothell WA, for US$71 million as it expands from the pre-clinical to clinical markets for its innovative products.

Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is creating a new fund for college research infrastructure, marking the first time in 10 years that CFI has offered a fund exclusively devoted to college R&D. It’s also the first time the federal government has written college funding into its contribution agreement between CFI and Industry Canada — an agreement that has yet to be officially announced (R$, July 6 & 19/10).

Insight

By Dr Margaret Dalziel

In these days of calls for fiscal restraint, should governments continue to pour billions of dollars into the dozens of IRAP offices, research institutes, Networks of Centres of Excellence, technology transfer offices, and business incubators that populate our cities and towns from Victoria to St.

It was second time lucky for a Canadian-led proposal to establish a series of mathematics institutes across Africa, with the federal government contributing $20 million over four years to help create three institutes in Ethiopia, Senegal and Ghana.

The federal government has added yet another program in its growing arsenal of research talent support programs with the announcement of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (BPF). Pegged at $45 million over five years, the program provides recipients with $70,000 annually for two years and will support 140 students when fully implemented.