Topic: startups

Government ‘can and should pick winners’ to grow scale-up companies, says federal advisor

In a recent report for the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship, Sheldon Levy, special advisor to the federal minister of small business and export promotion, argued that government should identify and support select firms with high potential to become global competitors. “There are many countries that have to pick their laneway and can’t be the best at everything all the time,” Levy told Research Money.

MaRS innovation hub hits pause on plan to expand to Calgary

The Toronto-based MaRS Discovery District innovation hub has hit the “pause button” on expanding to Calgary after more than a year of discussions with the University of Calgary and other players in Calgary’s innovation ecosystem. However, MaRS says it will continue working with and supporting Alberta companies during the scale-up stage from its Toronto base.

The Short Report – Feb. 3, 2021: Corporations partner on rapid COVID testing for employees, Conestoga launches national institute for senior care, Lakeland offers Canada’s first AgriTech degree, and more

A consortium of some of Canada’s biggest corporations launch a pilot project offering workers rapid COVID-19 testing; Conestoga College prepares to launch a national institute dedicated to senior care; Lakeland College offers Canada’s first two-year Agricultural Technology program this fall, and more.

Biotechnology and engineering biology roadmap plus investment are key to Canada’s economic recovery

The federal government needs to support an inclusive engineering biology ecosystem that leverages Canadian-grown capacities across industry, academia and government, Bettina Hamelin, president and CEO of Ontario Genomics, says in an editorial. Canada needs a comprehensive and aligned roadmap for a public-private partnership and investment strategy to benefit from the increasing opportunities in this emerging sector, she says.