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Science and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC) has announced its annual Synergy Awards for Innovation, highlighting achievements in R&D collaboration between industry and universities. Six awards were presented at a gala event in Halifax on October 19.

A new report from Statistics Canada shows that income from university intellectual property (IP) reached $55.2 million in 2003, up 5.5% from $52.5 million in 2001. The same period also saw the number of disclosed or reported inventions rise 3% from 1,105 to 1,133, while 64 new spin-offs firms were created, bringing the total to 876.

For one of Atlantic Canada’s smaller post-secondary schools, Mount Allison Univ (MTA) has big plans. Located in Sackville NB, the 165-year-old institution has recently spun off three companies as it begins to exploit its small but potent cluster of biotechnology expertise.

The Office of the National Science Advisor (ONSA) has nearly completed work on three of its key mandates and is aggressively promoting a new fund for federal laboratories modelled on the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Ensuring a Future for Industrial Research in Canada.

Canada is taking a decisive turn towards the business end of innovation after years of fuelling the research base. At the same time, global trends are emerging that require a forceful and timely response.

Behind the high-profile trials and tribulations of its recent history, Nortel Networks Corp has revamped its vaunted R&D machine and placed its Ottawa operations at the core of a global operation with regional strengths in the US, China and India.

RE$EARCH MONEY Atlantic Conference

Partnerships, regional coordination and a greater focus on global markets were just a handful of themes that emerged from RE$EARCH MONEY’s first Atlantic Canada conference earlier this month.

Dr Tom Bruzstowski may have departed but his vision for Science and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC) continues to evolve. Two years after laying out the details of a six-point plan to enhance NSERC’s reach and presence, all elements have been implemented, including the first two regional offices in an eventual network of five, designed to increase awareness of the grant-ing agency’s diverse portfolio of programs.

Apparent inconsistencies in the application of federal tax credits for industrial R&D may force one of Atlantic Canada’s most promising knowledge-based firms to leave the region and possibly even Canada.

November 8 in Ottawa: Fifth Annual RE$EARCH MONEY Conference.

Theme: Ensuring a Future for Industrial Research in Canada.

Join RE$EARCH MONEY for this important event, featuring a stellar line-up of experts from all facets of the Canada’s innovation system.