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The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is wrapping up an exhaustive consultation process that it hopes will set the stage for a breakthrough in its quest to reinvent itself for the 21st Century.

By Vincent Wright

The growing emphasis by policy makers on the commercialization of publicly funded research appears to be yielding considerable dividends in the realm of university-industry interaction.

Canada’s venture capital (VC) industry appears to be experiencing a gradual return to health after the dramatic downturn in financings over the past three years. The latest data from Macdonald & Associates Ltd indicate that the level of investment has increased for the second quarter in a row, spurring cautious optimism that the recovery can be sustained.

Addresses critical commercialization gap

The federal government is being urged to allocate $240 million over five years towards a series of seed and pre-seed investment funds that could see up to $710 million devoted to moving promising intellectual property into the marketplace.

Public-private partnership

A proposal to help reverse the yawning trade imbalance in pharmaceutical products is entering a critical phase, as efforts ramp up to secure the public and private investment required for full implementation.

The Univ of Alberta (U of A) and the City of Edmonton have joined forces to create a Canadian first. They’ve established TEC Edmonton — a new technology transfer and commercialization office positioned as part of a larger strategy to more effectively exploit the university’s rapidly expanding research capacity and enhance regional receptor capacity.

The fate of federal science and technology and innovation policy has become clouded with the announcement by prime minister Paul Martin of his new Cabinet and new slate of ministers of state and parliamentary secretaries.

A new report on the the contribution of clusters to regional economic growth argues that governments should allow markets to determine cluster development and confine its efforts to supporting and nurturing their growth.

Biotechnology spending by the federal government jumped 24.8% in FY02-03 to $695.1 million, nearly equalling the 28.8% increase between FY00-01 and FY01-02. In just two years, federal biotech funding has skyrocketed 60.

November 9, 2004 at the Ottawa Congress Centre: The Fourth Annual RE$EARCH MONEY Conference, “Commercialization: What’s Working, What’s Not” will bring business leaders together with policy makers and the research community to look critically at different models for commercialization being practiced and proposed around the country.