The Short Report - January 11, 2023: Boosting research and innovation in Newfoundland & Labrador; a Xanada-South Korea partnership, examining the state of public trust in science, and more.

FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

The University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, and Vancouver Island University will be receiving more than $4 million in funding from the Government of British Columbia to support projects focused on high-tech innovation in health, technology, and natural resources. The funds will support 18 projects at the universities, including an early-stage risk assessment of non-communicable diseases at UBC, a UVic project to reduce traffic-related air pollution, and the development of virtual reality programs by SFU. UBC

The Government of Nova Scotia is partnering with Mitacs to create up to 3,200 paid internship opportunities for post-secondary students and others studying in Nova Scotia over the next four years, in the areas of healthcare, clean-technology, and other sectors that require highly qualified researchers. The provincial government has announced $13 million in additional funding towards the internships. Government of NS

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

A hub supporting applied research and economic initiatives in western Newfoundland has officially opened, the result of a collaboration between the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), the College of the North Atlantic (CNA), and Corner Brook Pulp and Paper (CBPPL). The Centre for Research and Innovation in Corner Brook has received a total of nearly $9 million in funding,  including more than $5 million to support an employer-sponsored training program delivered by CNA through the Labour Market Development Agreement between the Government of Newfoundland and the Government of Canada; a further nearly $3 million (including $1.6 million from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, $1 million from the Emera Entrepreneurship/Innovation Fund, nearly $680,000 from the provincial government’s Regional Development Fund, and $50,000 from the City of Corner Brook) has enabled MUN to complete the redevelopment of the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Human Resources building.  The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Government of Newfoundland also contributed more than $700,000 to R&D projects —$400,000 from ACOA and $306,000 from the provincial government’s Research and Development Fund. Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada also provided $288,475 from the Canada’s Clean Technology Program. CNA MUN - Grenfell Campus

Meanwhile, a St. John's-based innovation centre for remote operations in the oceans, energy, and defence sectors is now in the works, with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador providing more than $7 million over six years, through the Innovation and Business Development Fund, and the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, contributing $2.5 million over the next three years. Government of NL

Xanadu Quantum Technologies (Toronto) is welcoming Korea's national research institute, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), as a research partner. Their partnership will focus on pioneering quantum computing capabilities for industrial use cases, including quantum algorithms for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Cision

ERS Genomics (Dublin, Ireland) has granted its first Canadian patent to the CVC group, saying the patent has broad claims to compositions and methods using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology in humans, animals, plants, and microbes. CVC — which stands for University of California, University of Vienna, and Nobel laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier — is the acronym used to describe the owners of the UC Berkeley CRISPR patents. ERS provides access to a portfolio of CRISPR/Cas9 patents worldwide. Marketwatch Biofuel Digest

Project Arrow, the first all-Canadian, zero-emission concept vehicle, was unveiled at Arizona's Consumer Electronics Show as part of the Government of Ontario's trade mission to showcase innovation in the IT, automotive and life sciences sectors. The Ontario government supported the project through its Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network, and is investing more than $56 million over four years to accelerate the development of electric, connected, and autonomous vehicle and mobility technologies. Government of Ontario

The University of Windsor will receive more than $1.75 million in federal funding to support its leadership of the Real-Time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON), a Canada Foundation for Innovation-funded network focused on the Great Lakes. The funding is part of CFI’s Major Science Initiatives award of $15.25 million to the Global Water Futures Observatories, a collaborative freshwater observational research network under the leadership of the University of Saskatchewan and which includes nine Canadian universities. Cision

 Dr. Donna Strickland and Dr. Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher are the inaugural co-directors of the University of Waterloo’s new Trust in Science and Technology Research Network, the first multidisciplinary network in Canada focused on improving communication with the public and building trust in science and technology. UWaterloo

AGREEMENTS

The Competition Bureau of Canada has reached an agreement with South Carolina-based pulp supplier Domtar Corporation that will see Domtar selling its Dryden and Thunder Bay pulp mills to independent purchasers to address competition concerns with Domtar's acquisition of Resolute Forest Products (Montreal). The agreement took place after the Bureau concluded the proposed transaction would lessen competition substantially in the supply of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp in Eastern and Central Canada and in the purchase of wood fibre from private lands in northwestern Ontario. Competition Bureau Resolute

AGRICULTURE NEWS

The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) and the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission (SaskFlax) are consolidating their management, staff and office space under one roof. Both organizations will operate out of the SaskCanola office at Innovation Place (Saskatoon) , a research and technology park next to the University of Saskatchewan campus. SaskCanola

The University of Alberta,  New Harvest Canada and Cult Food Science are developing the Institute of Cellular Agriculture at the University of Alberta's Agri-Food Discovery Place to provide support for new startups, researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and product development in cellular agriculture. Cult Food Science

Gold Leaf Technologies, an Ottawa-based controlled environment agricultural consultant, is partnering with Netherlands-based Artechno Growsystems to bridge the skill gap in vertical farming in Canada's post-secondary research and academic programs. Gold Leaf

VC NEWS

Canadian venture capital investments in 2022 totalled $8.19 billion, the second highest amount ever raised in Canada, and were driven primarily by American and international investors. Preliminary results from research firm CPE Media show that overall, Canadian investors' share average was 34 percent over 2022, while US and international investors accounted for 47 percent and 19 percent of 2022 total disbursements, respectively.  Cision

NorthStar Earth & Space (Montreal) closed a $47- million Series C funding round led by US-based private equity lead Cartesian Capital Group (New York), with additional funding from Telesystem Space (Montreal), the Luxembourg Future Fund, the Government of Quebec through Investissement Quebec, and the Luxembourg Space Sector Development Fund. NorthStar plans to use the funding to accelerate its product launch and commercialization of its space situational awareness services. NorthStar

THE GRAPEVINE

Governor General Mary Simon has announced new appointments to the Order of Canada with a number of recipients in the fields of health and science including Frantz Saintellemy, C.M. for contributions to innovations in electronics technologies and to entrepreneurial diversity; John J. M. Bergeron, C.M., C.Q. for contributions in the field of proteomics; David Saint-Jacques, O.C., O.Q. for contributions to health care and science and technology as an engineer, astrophysicist, astronaut and medical doctor, and Ivar Mendez, O.C. for pioneering work in remote telemedicine and robotics. 

University of Alberta president Bill Flanagan is in India to promote U of A's research strengths in energy and climate change mitigation and explore opportunities for collaboration. The primary focus of the trip is energy and climate change solutions, but Flanagan is also looking to collaborate with India's top research institutes on artificial intelligence, agriculture and food sustainability, and health sciences. U of A