The Short Report - June 8, 2022: Support for dozens of Research Chairs, a centre of excellence for sports and sports medicine, protocols for researchers and policymakers in the Arctic, and more.

RESEARCH FUNDING

Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne has announced more than $102 million to support 119 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 35 Canadian research institutions. This round of chairs supports research disciplines including the economics of sustainability and globalization, processing of viral vectors and vaccines, Indigenization of higher education, and stem cell models of childhood disease. The Canada Foundation for Innovation is also investing nearly $2 million to support nine research chairs at eight institutions through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund. CFI-funded projects will contribute to a range of research areas, including understanding cardiovascular disease and improving success in mathematics for Canadian children. GOC

FedDev Ontario is contributing $10 million to launch the Waterloo Accelerator Centre (AC), a three-phase innovation and technology program that will provide 100 high-potential, early-stage cleantech, nanotech, and healthcare startups in southern Ontario with up to $100,000 in seed funding between now and March of 2025. The AC will lead on program delivery in partnership with five southwestern Ontario-based partners: WEtech Alliance (WEtech), Innovate Niagara, SnapPea Design, Conestoga College and Uvaro.  GOC Waterloo Accelerator Centre

Alberta Innovates will contribute more than $9 million in new funding to support small- and medium-sized technology companies on 15 projects selected through its Ecosystem Development Pilot Program. The projects will focus on talent development, accelerating growth, promoting diversity, and convening innovative technology hubs. Among the projects being funded are Cybera's Applied Data Science Lab for Economic Development ($1.3 million); GrowthX and LLC's Revenue Accelerator ($1 million), and the University of Calgary Creative Destruction Lab Rockies' entrepreneur program to help founders at the early stages of innovation ($500,000). [See more coverage in article here ] Alberta Innovates

The Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation is contributing $2 million towards a consortium of biotechnology incubators and accelerators that have been established as part of Quebec's new life sciences strategy. Led by the Quebec Biotechnology Innovation Center (CQIB), the consortium aims to make it easier for new life science companies to access health professionals to complete the last stage of the technical-commercial validation of their innovations in the real context of care. Other consortium members are Montreal-based Admare BioInnovations, Centech, District 3, and CTS as well as ACET (Sherbrooke) and QuantINO (Quebec City). Newswire

The federal government is contributing nearly $2 million to support the establishment of an environmental solutions innovation hub at the University of Northern British Columbia to find solutions for water management, mining, forestry, and bioenergy sector concerns in the region. The funding from the Pacific Economic Development Agency (PacifiCan) will allow the university to procure advanced analytical instruments and personnel, as well as connecting industries and communities with research and solutions to be explored, developed, and commercialized locally. GOC

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada has mandated the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) to launch a $5-million call for funding to expand Canada's national network of smart farms. The mandate will focus on three pillars of technological advancements. The first two pillars — robotics & automation and data-driven decision-making — are to be validated and demonstrated on smart farms, which comprise the third pillar. CAAIN

The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) is investing more than $3 million on projects valued at more than $7 million through innovation challenge and booster programs. The Food Innovation Challenge funding recipients include Gastronomous Technologies (Oakville, Ontario, partnering with Recipe Unlimited and Sodexo Canada) — nearly $2 million to fund the development of smart/connected kitchen equipment — and Laboratoire Innodal (Quebec City, partnering with Dempsey Corporation and E. Gagnon et Fils Limitée) — nearly $1 million to increase the shelf life of food with natural and clean label antimicrobials. The Innovation Booster funding recipients include Ag-Tronic Control Systems (Lakeshore, Ontario) — $100,000 to complete development of globally-certified compostable pressure-sensitive label materials (PSMs); Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds (Surrey, B.C.) — $93,304 to scale up extraction and utilization of vitamin B12 and other water-soluble functional compounds found in Pacific seaweeds; and Groupe Foodarom (St. Hubert, Quebec) — $99,834 to develop and validate a solution to eliminate fungal contaminants often found in concentrated fruit syrups and purees. CFIN

The University of Toronto and Sinai Health have received a $20-million donation from the Larry and Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation to establish a global centre of excellence for high-performance sport science and sports medicine. Combined with more than $20 million of additional support from U of T and Sinai Health, the funding will provide for a range of research, innovations and clinical programs including a directorship and research acceleration fund, new chairs in sport science and data modelling and musculoskeletal regenerative medicine, and a professorship in orthopaedic sports medicine. U of T

COLLABORATIONS & INNOVATION

McMaster University and the University of Liverpool have entered into a partnership to advance research and training in pandemic preparedness following McMaster president Dr. David Farrar's visit to the University of Liverpool in May to identify opportunities to build international capacity to tackle global health threats. Farrar noted “Between our universities, we see several opportunities to accelerate vaccine and antibiotic development and address the challenges related to infrastructure, PPE, manufacturing, public policy, and the spread of misinformation.” McMaster

Integran Technologies has entered into a research license agreement with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) for the NRC's carbon nanotube (CNT) and boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) technology. NRC and Integran, with funding from the Innovative Solutions Canada Program, have been collaborating on developing scalable production methods for thermoplastic fabrics containing high loadings of nanotubes. Cision

The Canadian Space Agency is contributing nearly $1.75 million to fund seven concept studies proposed by Canadian companies to determine potential Canadian infrastructure contributions to a permanent human presence on the Moon. The companies receiving funding are Canadensys (Bolton, Ontario; nearly $500,000 for two projects); the Canadian Space Mining Corporation (Toronto, nearly $250,000); Honeywell (Ottawa, $250,000); MDA (Brampton, Ontario, $500,000 for two projects), and MPB Communications, (Pointe-Claire, Quebec, nearly $250,000). GOC Proposed solution studies

REPORTS AND PROTOCOLS

The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute has released a report commissioned by the National Index on Agri-Food Performance project to explore the index's value and performance for policy making. Among the key findings is that the index could serve as a starting point for policy development and the baseline against which to measure progress as Canada vies for recognition as a world leader in sustainable agriculture and sustainable food production. CAPI

The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), which represents approximately 180,000 Inuit in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka, Russia, has released protocols for researchers, institutions, and policy-makers in the Arctic. This document responds to concerns from Inuit communities in the Arctic, which are increasingly associated with climate change, resource development, and scientific research. The Circumpolar Inuit Protocols on Equitable and Ethical Engagement (EEE Protocols) call for eight observances, including recognizing Indigenous knowledge in its own right, building meaningful partnerships, and equitably funding Inuit representation and knowledge. ICC Release Protocols

THE GRAPEVINE

Mark Carney (U.N. / Brookfield Asset Management), Teresa Marques (Rideau Hall Foundation), Jean-Simon Venne (Brainbox AI) and Carol Lee (Vancouver Chinatown Foundation) are featured experts of a new video report from TheFutureEconomy.ca, which synthesizes the state of Canadian innovation, the biggest innovation challenges, innovation opportunities, and actions needed to improve the ability to innovate and compete in Canada. Cision Video Report

Dr. Dan Breznitz has won the 2021 Donner Prize for his book, Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World (Oxford University Press). The $50,000 prize is awarded annually to a book that showcases excellence and innovation in public policy writing by Canadians. Breznitz serves as the Munk Chair of Innovation Studies and co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab. He also co-directs the program on Innovation, Equity and Future of Prosperity as a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Munk

Dr. Margo Greenwood has been appointed interim scientific director of the CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health for a term of three years. Greenwood's role will include advancing Indigenous self-determination in health research, while building a trusting relationship with the Indigenous research community, and establishing the hiring process for the next scientific director in collaboration with Indigenous communities. GOC

Dr. Mark Belmonte has been appointed a member of the expert panel on gene-edited organisms for pest control at the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), which has been tasked by the federal government and Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Belmonte is a professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Manitoba. UM

Tonya Surman is stepping down from her role as CEO of the charity Social Innovation Canada (SI Canada), an organization she co-founded in 2016 as the Centre for Social Innovation Institute, and has led since. Surman is CEO and cofounder of Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation (CSI); she is succeeded by SI Canada Executive Director Andrea Nemtin, who will be stepping into the Acting CEO role. SIC