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More women and foreign researchers

The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program is considering a number of options to increase the number of researchers it attracts from other countries and improve the success rates of women.

A consortium of major Quebec-based aerospace firms and universities is forging ahead with a provincially assisted research initiative after similar proposals for federal funding proved unsuccessful. Consortium Research Innovation Aerospatial Quebec (CRIAQ) has secured commitments of $35.

Program decisions delayed

The leadership campaign for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party is taking its toll on the province’s key instruments to stimulate innovation, stalling announcements of newly funded projects and prompting long delays in program renewal decisions.

The Ontario of Centres of Excellence (OCE) program is still waiting for word on its future direction and funding levels with only months remaining in its current contract with the province. The government is reportedly planning to shift the program’s focus more towards commercialization and has received advice on how to proceed.

The Ottawa region’s publicly funded photonics research community has banded together to prime the pump of Canada’s largest photonics cluster with an alliance designed to draw expertise and capital into the sector.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has administered the single largest injection of funding into university research in history with the awarding of $779 million to more than 280 projects. The latest announcement doubles the amount of funding the CFI has awarded since its inception in 1997, bringing total disbursements to $1.

The R&D branch of National Defence is the first government organization to test-drive an emerging concept for conducting federal science and technology (S&T) with a new $170-million counter-terrorism fund.

Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) is setting up a Counter Terrorism Technology Centre (CTTC) at its research centre in Suffield AB, using $12 million allocated in the recent federal Budget. To be spent over two years starting in FY02-03, the Centre will perform several functions including the transfer of S&T expertise into the so-called first responders community (military, fire, police departments and others) and specialized training .

Lead for file may switch to Industry

Plans to construct the $466-million Canadian Neutron Facility (CNF) are down but not out. Following a period of relative inactivity, the scientific community and its National Research Council (NRC) partners are planning to bring the proposal back to government for funding consideration in the next Budget.

Four federal health organizations have banded together to form the Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI), the first time in history they have pooled their expertise and resources to tackle issues for which they have mutual interest.