Vancouver-based Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) is an 11-year-old organization that helps “bridge” scientific discoveries and commercialization in the life sciences sector. RE$EARCH MONEY spoke to CDRD president and CEO Gordon C. McCauley about how it is helping companies scale up and its strategy for attracting capital in a sector that is growing exponentially but is perceived to be risky.
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TRIUMF business arm looking into broader industry collaborations
Can science and business fruitfully cohabitate? It’s possible. And it’s happening in a Vancouver university campus where physicists can be found hard at work on their cyclotron particle accelerator in one room while industry people are in another room testing for radiation particles. These are common-day activities in TRIUMF, one of Canada’s large-scale research facilities, which is home to hundreds of researchers from academia, other research institutes and industry from across Canada and around the world.
National Cyber Security Strategy launched
The federal government has released a new National Cyber Security Strategy based in part on a Cyber Review with public consultations conducted in 2016 and first announced in Budget 2018.
Feds name first set of VCCI investments
The federal government is backing five large venture capital (VC) fund of funds (FoF) to boost the much-needed late-stage capital available to Canadian tech firms.
G7 leaders commit to STI concerns
G7 Leaders have committed to act on key issues brought to their attention by the science, technology and innovation (STI) community, particularly around artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change. However, the US stayed away from any further climate change commitments, while Canada’s STI stakeholders are asking for action beyond signatures on a piece of paper.
Canadian financial firms to invest up to $1B to help firms grow locally
A group of top Canadian banks and insurance firms are backing a fund that will help Canadian companies grow locally by filling an identified void in the capital market.
NRC president Stewart reappointed for another term
Iain Stewart, the current president of the National Research Council (NRC), has been reappointed for a term of five years. The reappointment – announced by Navdeep Bains, minister for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on June 20 — will allow Stewart to continue to work on the federal agency’s transformation, called the NRC Dialogue,…
PC majority vague on STI plans
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives (PCs) are set to govern come June 29, but it remains to be seen what the new leadership will mean to science, technology and innovation in the province.
CATALIS welcomes new partners
The CATALIS Quebec Clinical Trials initiative has announced new public partners and industry funding as it moves closer to its goal of doubling private sector investment in the province’s early stage clinical trials (ESCT) and providing patients early access to innovative healthcare.
Reports: Q1 2018 records strong VC interest, but PE growth ‘slow’
Investments in innovative companies were up in the first quarter of 2018 (Q1/18) across several sectors with venture capital funds leading the way, according to two new reports on Canadian activity. However, when it comes to private equity investments, one report indicates that investments were relatively slow but still bigger in value.

