Article Type: Generic

The chances of continued support for Canada’s photonics sector are a lot brighter following the October 27 release of a glowing impact study that praises the role played by the National Research Council’s Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) in stimulating industry growth and competitiveness.

The Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) is seeking renewed funding in the next federal Budget as part of a larger request by the National Research Council (NRC) to extend its cluster initiatives across the country.

Canadian universities are maintaining their strong track record of increasing research funding although the pace of growth is definitely slowing, according to the latest data from Research Infosource.

Anemic R&D spending, sagging research intensity and the further decline of high-tech titan Nortel Networks Corp conspired to keep corporate R&D spending stagnant in 2008 with only one of the top five performing companies posting gains from 2007.

The Canadian Stem Cell Foundation (CSCF) has unveiled an ambitious awareness-raising initiative that aims to promote the field of stem cell research as it enters an important new phase of development.

Technology push versus industry pull

Income generated from the intellectual property (IP) generated by Canada’s universities and affiliated teaching hospitals took a dive in 2007, declining 12.1% year-over-year to $52.

Dr Martin Godbout has resigned as president and CEO of Genome Canada after 10 years in the position, effective immediately. Godbout’s departure was announced in a statement from Genome Canada board chair Dr Thomas Caskey, which said he was returning to the private sector “and pursue other opportunities in the genomics field”.

The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) kicked off a high-profile 10th anniversary Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future festival with the announcement of a major expansion of its Waterloo ON facilities.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is putting the finishing touches on a new strategic plan that will guide the arm’s length agency’s next major competition, scheduled for 2010. The plan is being prepared in conjunction with a value-for-money audit and performance evaluation that will set the stage for the next stage in CFI’s evolution.

1% of $170 billion in health care costs

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is seeking a major boost to its current budget to implement a new strategic plan that runs from 2010 to 2015.