The “AGtech Innovation Sandbox” in British Columbia — which received $10 million in federal funding — aims to build a collaborative network of SMEs to grow the province’s ag-tech sector, based on an innovation model used to support companies developing digital health technologies. Meanwhile, Vancouver is ranked No. 9 in the world’s top 35 “ag-tech and new food” ecosystems, according to a new report from Startup Genome.
Topic: post-secondary institutions
More interdisciplinary training in science, engineering and business could boost innovation
Providing more interdisciplinary academic programs and training in science, engineering and business to students in post-secondary institutions could break disciplinary silos and boost Canada’s lagging innovation, says Dr. Alexandre Navarre, PhD, associate researcher at École de technologie supérieure in Montreal and past director of technology transfer units at McGill University and Western University.
Q&A: Entrepreneur Mark Blackwell on building a strong innovation ecosystem in Calgary
At 32, Mark Blackwell is a seasoned entrepreneur, venture capitalist and board chair of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund. Research Money spoke to Blackwell about his experience in Silicon Valley, what success means to him and strengthening the innovation ecosystem in Calgary and Canada.
Largest-ever federal investments in intellectual property a “significant step” toward improving Canada’s global competitiveness, IP experts and innovation groups say
Federal Budget 2021 included the government’s largest-ever investments in intellectual property and IP services, underscoring the importance of protecting and leveraging IP for Canada’s economic growth, according to IP experts and heads of innovation groups.
Canada poised to lead in ocean research with the right focus and policies
With the right focus, policies and funding, Canada could be poised to seize a significant part of the ocean economy’s growth as the globe recovers and rebuilds post-pandemic, says Donald Grant, executive director at the Ocean Startup Project.
Opinion: Canada’s service sectors are poised for a tectonic shift
Canada needs to be prepared for the “tectonic shift” of intangibles powering new ways of delivering services that contribute more than three-quarters of Canada’s GDP, Bert van den Berg writes in an op-ed.
Federal government must improve “catastrophic” innovation performance, say innovation experts and business groups
Innovation experts and business groups are stepping up calls for the federal government to fix a “weak and out of balance” innovation ecosystem. Canada continues to lag other countries in innovation performance and productivity, according to international indexes.
Alberta joins Ontario to implement performance-based funding for higher education and research
Alberta will implement performance-based funding in its post-secondary system next fall, despite decidedly mixed results on whether the strategy improves higher education and research outcomes.