The Short Report - June 21, 2023: A network devoted to sustainable aviation innovation, a $25-million donation to expand quantum research in Alberta, support for SMR research, and more.
Cindy Graham
June 21, 2023
GOVERNMENT FUNDING
The Government of Canada will contribute $350 million through the Strategic Innovation Fund to establish an industry-led aerospace network that will fund R&D projects with companies across the supply chain, supporting Canada’s new Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT). The projects will focus on four key technology areas: hybrid and alternative propulsion; aircraft architecture and systems integration; transition to alternative fuels, and aircraft support infrastructure and operations. ISED
Ottawa-based Ross Video will receive $49 million from the federal government to support the development of cloud-based products for event production as part of the government's strategy to promote intellectual property-rich companies and create high-skilled job opportunities. Ross Video's $236-million project aims to create a hybrid cloud event-production platform and suite of tools, producing high-quality live media for various sectors such as news, sports, concerts, and conferences. ISED
MDS Coating Technologies (Slemon Park, Prince Edward Island) will receive a total investment of $10.4 million to meet the demand for advanced coating technology solutions. The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is contributing $2.9 million for the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment, including 3D metal printing, cleaning, and coating technology. The provincial government is investing $7.5 million, including a non-repayable grant of $500,000 from Innovation PEI. Government of PEI
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) have allocated $9.4 million over three years to support 29 research projects through the NSERC-CNSC Small Modular Reactors Research Grant Initiative. The funding aims to enhance knowledge and research in the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) for Canada's low carbon energy transition, addressing areas including environmental protection, risk management, cybersecurity, and human factors associated with SMRs. NSERC
Meanwhile, NSERC has introduced two funding opportunities for quantum research collaboration. The Alliance International Catalyst Quantum grants and Alliance International Collaboration Quantum grants aim to foster partnerships between Canadian university researchers and international academic counterparts, promoting research excellence and advancing Canada's leadership in quantum science and technology. Applications are open until March 31 and January 31, 2024, respectively. NSERC
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded $3.15 million in grants to nine Canadian universities to design, build and launch CubeSats—miniature satellites launched into orbit from the International Space Station—to measure climate change-related data. Funding is awarded under the CubeSats Initiative in Canada for STEM (CUBICS) program to Canadian post-secondary institutions, and will include the following projects: Killick-2: A CubeSat for ocean monitoring in support of climate change adaptation (Memorial University of Newfoundland); the Western Skylark: a 3U CubeSat for next-generation tracking of migratory wildlife using the Motus and ICARUS telemetry systems (Western University); IceCube: Making space accessible for Arctic climate change research (University of Manitoba), and Ex-Alta 3: Measuring ice and snow coverage (University of Alberta). CSA
HEALTH NEWS
Scientists at Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, are conducting a national multi-center study to develop rare isotopes as a tool in cancer treatment. The research aims to create targeted radio pharmaceuticals that will deliver radioactive isotopes directly to cancer cells, offering a highly localized and effective treatment approach. The project involves multiple research institutions and has received $23.7 million in federal funding through the New Frontiers in Research Fund. Western U.
The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) will contribute more than $1.9 million through its Spark Program to support the development and validation of 40 innovations focused on improving the quality of life for older adults, people living with dementia, and caregivers. The funding aims to support grassroots innovations by front-line healthcare workers and researchers, translating their insights into early-stage innovations. Funding is provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and the Government of Canada through the Public Health Agency of Canada. Funded innovations include A Caregiver Navigation Guide available on YouTube (WoodGreen Community Services, Toronto); Developing a Virtual Reality Companion for Persons with Dementia Living in Long-term Care (Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa), and Development of a Stress-Relief Robot (University of British Columbia). CABHI
Researchers at the University of Toronto, in partnership with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada (Toronto), has created a free online tool to assist hospitals in identifying and addressing the risk of drug diversion. The tool was funded with support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and focuses on assessing vulnerabilities within the hospital system that can lead to the loss or theft of medications, rather than targeting individuals. U of T
The Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub has launched a collaborative space for healthcare stakeholders to address healthcare challenges in the province. The hub aims to accelerate the development of new treatments, technologies, and solutions by partnering with medical companies, enabling faster clinical trials, technology testing, and market-ready solutions. The hub includes a Network of Innovators program, which offers funding streams to support the development of new approaches and provides training in entrepreneurial skills. Nova Scotia Health
COLLABORATION & INNOVATION
Private donors Richard Bird, Joanne Cuthbertson, Patrick Daniel, and Guy Turcotte have donated $25 million to establish Quantum Horizons Alberta (QHA), a hub to advance fundamental quantum research in the province. QHA will use the expertise of the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge to establish Alberta as a globally recognized centre for quantum science and deepen understanding of quantum physics. The initial annual operating budget will be $5 million for a minimum of five years, supported by the donors, the universities and other partners. U of A
Protein Industries Canada and Innovate UK have formed a bilateral partnership to develop new plant-based food and ingredients. The collaboration aims to support innovation by facilitating partnerships between Canadian and UK companies, enabling knowledge exchange and access to new technologies and customers. PIC
Universities Canada has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Science and Technology of the Republic of the Philippines that aims to facilitate, support and develop science, technology and innovation cooperation between the Philippines and Canadian universities. Universities Canada will lead a delegation of university presidents to the Philippines from Nov. 6th to Nov. 8th to reinforce connections and collaborations between the two countries. Universities Canada
RANKINGS & REPORTS
A report from the Business Council of Alberta says Canada will be unable to reach its 2050 climate goals unless it speeds up the approvals process for major projects. It says Canada's current regulatory system for large-scale infrastructure projects is "complex, fractured and frustrating," and recommends solutions to improve Canada’s regulatory systems and work toward a model system to meet environmental targets. Business Council of Alberta
The University of Toronto (U of T) has been ranked as the third-most prolific institution globally and the second among universities for health sciences research output, according to Nature Index's Annual Tables, ranking it just behind Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health. U of T
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office's 2021−2022 Annual Report highlighting its achievements from the 2021−2022 fiscal year was tabled in Parliament recently. Read it here.
VENTURE CAPITAL NEWS
Toronto-based natural language processing developer Cohere is the highest-ranking Canadian startup in Bessemer Venture Partners’ list of top 100 “deep technology” companies. Cohere is a competitor of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, and one of four Canadian companies included in the first edition of this list, ranking 41st place overall. It joins Vancouver startup Nexii (48th), Burnaby’s Svante Technologies (54th), and Toronto firm Xanadu (92nd). BetaKit
Startup Genome’s 2023 global startup activity report, which covers up to the first half of 2022, shows Toronto-Waterloo, Vancouver, and Montréal placing in its top 40 rankings. Toronto-Waterloo was Canada’s top-ranked startup ecosystem, placing highest at 17, followed by Vancouver and Montréal, which came in at 30 and 40, respectively. Calgary placed in the 51-60 range for 2023 (up from 61-70) and Ottawa featured in the 71-80 range—an increase from 2022 when it came in between 81 and 90. BetaKit
Halifax-based Tribe Network is launching a venture capital fund that will invest in pre-seed and seed-stage businesses led by racialized founders. The purpose of the fund is to level the playing field for entrepreneurs who have traditionally faced systemic barriers when accessing capital. BetaKit
THE GRAPEVINE
Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos has announced the appointment and reappointment of 12 individuals to the Ministerial Advisory Board (MAB) on Dementia for three-year terms. Dr. Zahinoor Ismail, professor of psychiatry, neurology, epidemiology, and pathology at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary will serve as co-chair of the board along with Barb Shellian, former president of the Canadian Nurses Association. The board is comprised of people living with dementia, caregivers, researchers, advocacy group representatives, and health care professionals. PHAC
Sandra Moore will head up Prince Edward island's new Clean Tech Innovation Centre, which will be based in the new Clean Tech Park in Georgetown, a 60-acre tax-free zone for clean tech companies. Moore is the dean for the faculty of Business, Environment, and Technology at NorQuest College in Edmonton. The centre will be PEI’s future home for clean technology innovation, business, and energy and will house the province’s Clean Tech Academy. Government of PEI
Skaidra Puodžiūnas has joined the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) as the new Ontario director of government affairs, and James McLeod has been promoted to CCI's director of content and communications. Skaidra served as a team lead in Ontario’s Office of the Chief Corporate Information Officer, a hub connecting 4,000 information technology specialists within government, as well as a senior advisor to the Ontario Digital Service, directly supporting Ontario’s first chief digital and data officer, and Ontario’s first minister responsible for digital government. McLeod previously served as the technology and telecom reporter for the Financial Post. CCI
A group called the Semiconductor Industry Leadership and Innovation Canada Action Network has been formed by several tech organizations to advance the semiconductor industry. The group aims to advocate for the industry with the federal and provincial governments and develop a made-in-Canada action plan for global sector leadership. Members of the group include the Council of Canadian Innovators, CMC Microsystems, the Alliance for Semiconductor Innovation, Canada's Semiconductor Council, and the Canadian Innovation Network, among others. The move comes in response to disruptions in semiconductor supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing importance of semiconductors in various advanced industries. Canadian Manufacturing
Dr. Jim House,
an internationally recognized expert in nutritional sciences, has been named the new Manitoba Strategic Research Chair in Sustainable Protein. The Government of Manitoba has invested $1.5 million in support of the new research chair, which has a six-year term and is based in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba. House will lead and facilitate original research in sustainable protein innovation in alignment with the Manitoba Protein Advantage Strategy. U of M
