GOVERNMENT FUNDING & NEWS

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The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status. Canada is currently experiencing a large, multi-jurisdictional outbreak of measles that began in October 2024 with cases in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories. While transmission has slowed recently, the outbreak has persisted for over 12 months, primarily within under-vaccinated communities. PAHO's Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission reviewed recent epidemiological and laboratory data, confirming sustained transmission of the same measles virus strain in Canada for a period of more than one year. PHAC is collaborating with the PAHO and working with federal, provincial, territorial, and community partners to implement coordinated actions—focused on improving vaccination coverage, strengthening data sharing, enabling better overall surveillance efforts, and providing evidence-based guidance. Canada can re-establish its measles elimination status once transmission of the measles strain associated with the current outbreak is interrupted for at least 12 months. Public Health Agency of Canada

Finance Canada announced the launch of a new Trade Diversification Corridors Fund to strengthen supply chains, unlock new export opportunities, and build a more resilient, diversified economy. This will help Canada transition from an economy reliant on one trade partner to one resilient to global shocks. Through the new $5-billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund, the government aims to improve access to overseas markets by investing in new port, airport, and railway infrastructure. The Fund will support projects of all scales, including digital infrastructure, to improve the ability of Canadian imports and exports to travel efficiently across the country and to and from the rest of the world. This Fund will also be supported by the Canada Infrastructure Bank in assessing projects and determining the appropriate mix of government supports. The Trade Diversification Corridors Fund forms part of Canada’s new Trade Diversification Strategy. Building on Canada’s world-class agreements and partnerships, the Trade Diversification Strategy will double overseas exports over a decade, generating $300 billion more in trade, the government said. To do this, Canada must focus on growing areas of key competitive advantage and supercharging engagement with the world’s fastest-growing markets. Budget 2025 proposes to invest $6 billion in Canadian transportation infrastructure, which could raise productivity and increase Canadian GDP by up to $21 billion, Ottawa said.  Finance Canada

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, highlighted core measures from Budget 2025 to lower the prices Canadians pay by promoting private sector competition. One such measure includes boosting competition in the telecom sector to lower costs for Canadians through reducing the regulatory burden required to deploy telecommunications infrastructure, releasing more spectrum, and making it easier to renew or switch between internet and phone plans.  Budget 2025 announced plans to foster greater competition, innovation, and efficiency in the Canadian financial sector, including by helping smaller financial institutions to invest, scale, and compete, and by, among other actions, advancing payments modernization, introducing legislation to complete the Consumer-Driven Banking Act, reinforcing competition as a core objective, and accelerating the next phase of consumer-driven banking by 2027. The government will also make it easier for Canadians to switch their financial institution and access funds by cheque, as well as introducing legislation to regulate the issuance of fiat-backed stablecoins in Canada, supporting their safe and innovative use cases such as payments, and will explore options and work with the private sector to encourage the adoption of artificial intelligence in the financial sector in ways that advance innovation and build trust in its use.  Finance Canada

Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s ambassador to Denmark, on behalf of Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and Christina Egelund, Denmark’s Minister for Higher Education and Science, signed a joint statement on quantum cooperation at the European Quantum Technologies Conference 2025. Together, Canada and Denmark are committed to fostering greater research and development ties, focusing on people, innovation and shared values—including the ethical use of quantum technologies—to advance the quantum objectives of both countries. Through this agreement, both countries will foster collaborative and inclusive scientific environments, advance multidisciplinary quantum research and development, facilitate open data sharing, develop a skilled and diverse talent pipeline, and create opportunities for global market expansion and supply chain innovation. This collaboration reflects shared values of openness, accountability and research excellence, aiming to accelerate quantum innovation for the benefit of society, economic growth and collective security. ISED

The Government of Canada has announced provincial attestation letter exemptions for international master’s and doctoral students, while also excluding them from federal study permit caps. The policy, which goes into effect in January 2026, is designed to ensure that universities will continue to have access to the world’s top graduate talent. Doctoral students enrolling in public institutions will benefit from expedited application processing times. A government webpage has also been created to highlight the changes and detail the benefits of studying in Canada, while also providing prospective graduate students with guidance on applying to study in Canada. Government of Canada

RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Calgary-based TransAlta has won the right to tap into Alberta’s electrical grid to run a data centre, securing the last of a highly sought-after pool of power capacity the province has set aside to fuel its AI ambitions. The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), which operates the province’s power grid, allocated 230 megawatts of capacity to TransAlta’s Keephills project, a natural gas facility located 70 kilometres west of Edmonton. The decision means that TransAlta will be able to use a portion of the province’s available electricity at Keephills to power a data centre, the energy-hungry engines of “compute,” or computing power, that tech companies need to deliver their services. Alberta wants to be a hub for AI data centres, and has set aside 1,200 megawatts of capacity to power them. Alberta has ambitions to become a hub for AI data centres, with Premier Danielle Smith arguing that such developments could boost the province’s economic growth. However, Alberta currently lacks the electricity to power data centres on that scale. To address this, AESO in June temporarily capped additional “large-load” projects at a total of 1,200 megawatts to ensure that new AI data-centre developments don’t overburden Alberta’s grid.  The Logic

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been accused of acting as a “suicide coach” in a series of lawsuits filed in California, alleging that interactions with the chatbot led to severe mental breakdowns and several deaths. The seven lawsuits include allegations of wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, negligence and product liability. Each of the seven plaintiffs initially used ChatGPT for “general help with schoolwork, research, writing, recipes, work, or spiritual guidance,” according to a joint statement from the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project, which filed the lawsuits in California. Over time, however, the chatbot “evolved into a psychologically manipulative presence, positioning itself as a confidant and emotional support,” the groups said. “Rather than guiding people toward professional help when they needed it, ChatGPT reinforced harmful delusions, and, in some cases, acted as a 'suicide coach.’  ”A spokesperson for OpenAI said: “This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we’re reviewing the filings to understand the details.” The spokesperson added: “We train ChatGPT to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support.” The Guardian

The 10th annual SAAS NORTH conference took place recently, as founders pitched in front of judges and an audience for a chance at thousands of dollars in prize money. SAAS NORTH featured thousands of people from Canada’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) and artificial intelligence ecosystem, taking in two days of keynotes, panels, and networking in downtown Ottawa’s Rogers Centre. In between Vidyard founder Michael Litt declaring SaaS to be “dead,” this year’s conference provided $310,000 in funding through its pitch competition. SheBoot, a national program for women-led, early-stage tech and tech-enabled companies, handed out $300,000 when it announced the winning investments of its sixth annual cohort on the BetaKit Keynote Stage. The top prize of $150,000 went to Nifemi Oguntuase, the founder and CEO of Dartmouth-based Lab 4 Inc. The startup has developed an advanced mineral recovery technology that can extract the minerals from mining waste that would be traditionally considered too expensive to process. Mariia Zhuldybina, the CEO and co-founder of Montréal-based Traqc, received the second-place $100,000 investment. Traqc provides a quality control mechanism for electronics manufacturing. Ania Geerts, CEO and co-founder of event planning software Paloma, received the remaining $50,000. BetaKit

Foresight Canada has announced its fifth edition of the Foresight 50 list, highlighting 50 of Canada’s most promising cleantech startups. These companies are recognized for their potential to reduce emissions, conserve freshwater, detect wildfires, and repurpose waste. Collectively, these startups employ over 770 people and have raised more than $377 million in funding. Among the honourees are Carbonova, Hydron Energy, Picketa Systems, SenseNet, Vivid Machines, and Xatoms. Calgary-based Carbonova focuses on converting greenhouse gas emissions into carbon nanofibres, while Vancouver’s Hydron Energy is working on transforming waste gas into clean refined gas. SenseNet, also in Vancouver, has developed AI technology for early wildfire detection. Fredericton’s Picketa Systems aids farmers with plant tissue analysis, and Toronto’s Vivid Machines and Xatoms focus on monitoring fruit trees and purifying water, respectively. These startups are deemed to have proven commercial viability and significant potential for growth. Foresight Canada

VC, PRIVATE INVESTMENT & ACQUISITIONS

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) announced the launch of its $50-million Thrive Entrepreneurship through Acquisition Fund  (Thrive ETA Fund), aiming to support more than 60 Canadian women in acquiring and operating Canadian companies. Over 142,000 entrepreneurs plan to close, transfer or sell their business in the next five years, that’s 17.4 percent of SMEs, representing a unique opportunity to accelerate women’s business ownership. To support the growing wave of business ownership transitions, BDC is expanding its efforts to foster a more diverse and balanced entrepreneurial landscape. Through its Growth and Transition Capital team, the bank offers tailored financing solutions that help entrepreneurs acquire businesses without diluting ownership. BDC’s Community Banking team also recently launched an initiative with First Nations Bank of Canada to boost business acquisitions by Indigenous communities and development agencies nationwide. The Thrive ETA Fund will be managed through BDC’s Thrive Lab for Women. The Thrive ETA Fund is a $50-million investment envelope and an accelerator to support women in finding, acquiring and operating businesses with: 

• $10 million in indirect investments: allocated to Canadian private equity funds that support women-led business acquisitions, helping to strengthen the broader ecosystem.
•  $40 million in direct investments: dedicated to women ready to acquire a business, whether through a search fund, a management buyout, or a self-funded search.
• An accelerator, which will include training, capital access, deal sourcing, mentorship and guidance and a peer community.

Since the fund’s launch, Montreal-based MAGNUM Capital Partners, Canada's first women-led private equity fund focused on the search fund model, has received $2 million, marking BDC's first investment in the search fund asset class. MAGNUM, BDC.

Burnaby, BC.-based legal technology firm Clio announced it has completed its US$1 billion acquisition of legal intelligence platform vLex, one of the most significant transactions in legal technology history. The completion of the deal coincides with the closing of Clio's US$500 million Series G funding round, led by New Enterprise Associates, valuing the company at US$5 billion. The round also includes other current investors: TCV, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Sixth Street Growth, and JMI Equity. These milestones accelerate Clio's evolution as an AI-first company and reinforce its leadership in a new category of legal technology that connects the business and practice of law. The combination of vLex's global legal intelligence with Clio's trusted platform creates a fully connected environment where AI powers every dimension of legal work. Cision

Montreal-based startup FrontlineIQ has raised $3.3 million in seed funding from Québec investors AQC Capital and angel investors. The funding aims to further develop the company’s AI-driven platform designed to enhance sales performance in retail environments. The platform, known as Theo, provides AI-generated feedback to sales representatives, aiming to improve productivity and performance without replacing human managers. FrontlineIQ’s app gamifies sales processes and is already in use by companies like Ashley Furniture and SleepCountry. The new funding will support product development and expansion of the sales, engineering, marketing, and customer success teams across North America. Startup Ecosystem Canada.

Toronto-based Maple, a leading virtual care company, announced the acquisition of Beyond ADHD, a Canadian virtual care provider specializing in ADHD assessment, diagnosis, and follow-up. The acquisition advances Maple’s commitment to accessible, clinically led mental health care while ensuring continuity for patients and providers. Beyond ADHD will operate as a Maple subsidiary. Founded on the belief that ADHD care has been fragmented, inaccessible, and difficult to navigate, Beyond ADHD’s mission is to build a model that works for people living with ADHD and for the families and caregivers who support them. “Too many people struggle to receive ADHD assessment and support,” said Dr. Brett Belchetz, CEO and co-founder of Maple. “Adding Beyond ADHD to Maple improves access to timely, high-quality mental health care across Canada. This acquisition reflects what drives us at Maple: closing critical gaps in care and combining proven clinical programs with technology to remove friction and help people get care faster. It’s a natural next step in making mental health support more accessible for Canadians.” Maple

Montréal-based cybersecurity software company Flare has raised an additional US$30 million in Series B funding to fuel its global expansion plans, product development, and strategic mergers and acquisitions. This funding includes a US$15-million equity investment led by Inovia Capital and $15 million in debt financing from the Bank of Montréal. Flare specializes in Threat Exposure Management (TEM), providing advanced cybersecurity solutions that help organizations identify and manage potential security threats. The company has grown its presence in over 50 countries and plans to use the new capital to further its expansion in Europe and North America. Flare’s software, which automates digital threat monitoring by scanning the dark web and other sources for cybercrime, positions it as a leader in the TEM space. The funding will also support Flare’s ongoing innovation efforts, including the integration of generative AI in threat intelligence applications. The Saas News

REPORTS & POLICIES

Integrating AI into Canada’s manufacturing sector provides multiple benefits: Conference Board of Canada. 

Integrating artificial intelligence into the manufacturing sector can improve operational efficiency, expand workforce capabilities, and accelerate gains in strategic sectors where Canada holds an advantage, according to a Conference Board of Canada (CBofC) report.

Canada’s manufacturing sector is falling behind G7 peers in value-added as a percentage of total GDP, and also lags behind its peers in high-tech exports and robotics integration, the report said.

Between 2018 and 2024, manufacturing GDP declined by 2.7 percent. In 2024, Canada was ranked lowest among the G7 in terms of manufacturing value-added as a percentage of total GDP.

However, in 2022, manufacturers took more measures than other industries to overcome barriers to AI adoption. In 2025, 13.1 percent of firms in the sector adopted AI, slightly above the economy-wide average.

“Revitalizing the sector will require targeted, coordinated action,” the report said. Boosting productivity and resilience depends on focused AI investment, enhanced capital support, stronger education-to-career pathways, and fast-tracked upskilling programs.

Canadian manufacturing is under pressure from all sides, according to the report. Key exports are losing momentum, productivity is slipping, and automotive and metal manufacturing are subject to disruption from U.S. tariffs.

These pressures are straining investment, employment and long-term growth across the sector, the report noted.

The Canadian manufacturing sector in 2024 employed 1.56 million people and represented about half of all workers in the goods-producing sector.

From 2018 to 2024, manufacturing employment remained largely stagnant, with a decline during the COVID period followed by recovery.

The sector’s share of GDP dropped from 10.6 percent in 2015 to 9.2 percent in 2024.

Ontario and Quebec anchor Canada’s advanced manufacturing in automotive and aerospace manufacturing.

In 2024, food, transportation equipment, chemicals, machinery, and metal fabrication accounted for over half of sectoral GDP output.

Statistics Canada reports 27.5 percent of manufacturers intend to adopt AI in 2025, compared with the economy-wide average of 23.9 percent.

In 2025, 13.1 percent of manufacturing firms had adopted AI, compared with 12.2 percent average across all surveyed industries.

In 2024, a report by the federally funded Next Generation Manufacturing Canada global innovation cluster found that Canadian manufacturers that deployed computer-vision inspection and predictive-maintenance systems boosted productivity and slashed unplanned downtime.

In 2024, Statistics Canada (StatsCan) found that AI will impact more than one-third of manufacturing workers, and one in five will see their skills complemented rather than replaced by AI.

StatsCan reported that, in 2022, 31 percent of manufacturers recruited graduates from postsecondary institutions versus 11.7 percent across all surveyed industries.

Over half (54.4 percent) of manufacturers hired external contractors compared with just 22.3 percent across all surveyed industries, while 18.4 percent sought government support versus 6.6 percent in the broader industrial average.

AI has real, immediate value for Canada, the report said. Priority actions for renewing economic renewal are:

• Double down on strategic sectors.

Focus on specific industries where Canada has a global edge and inventive strengths: clean energy, aerospace, medical, and engine manufacturing.

• Create a manufacturing production modernization program.

Support public-private co-investment in production modernization. Fast-tracking infrastructure and regulatory approvals and aligning export promotion with high-potential manufacturing sectors can create faster productivity gains and shorter returns on investment.

• Build the talent pipeline – and protect it.

Bridge education and employment. Boost tuition grants and student wage subsidies to create clearer pathways into advanced manufacturing roles.

Reform employment insurance. Make employment insurance work for upskilling. Policies should enable – not discourage – workers to reskill as technology evolves.

Extend tax credits to mid-career learning. Let the cooperative education tax credits cover current employees who need to transition into new roles. This keeps experienced workers in the sector and reduces long-term displacement. The Conference Board of Canada 

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Canada needs a bold, mission-driven economic strategy for greater resilience, productivity and global competitiveness

Canada urgently requires a bold, cohesive economic strategy to navigate an increasingly volatile global landscape, according to a commentary [which included more hyperlinks] in Policy Options.

For decades, the country has functioned much like a “resource-rich colony,” exporting raw materials while lagging in value-added innovation and technological leadership.

Recent geopolitical tensions, supply-chain disruptions and the accelerating demand for clean-energy technologies have amplified economic vulnerabilities worldwide and here, said the commentary by Burgess Langshaw Power and Maral Niazi.

However, these challenges also present a pivotal opportunity for Canada to reorient its economy toward greater resilience, productivity and global competitiveness, they said.

Power is a PhD candidate at the Balsillie School of International Affairs at the University of Waterloo, and Niazi is a doctoral student at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Canada must shift from its historically risk-averse, fragmented investment model to a targeted, mission-oriented approach that concentrates on sectors where it holds inherent advantages: agriculture, forestry, energy and critical minerals, they argue. “These sectors are not isolated. They form a synergistic ecosystem.”

For instance, critical minerals enable AI-driven optimizations in agriculture, while sustainable forestry products can support energy-efficient infrastructure, bolstered by a skilled Canadian workforce.

“This interconnected framework amplifies return on investment, fostering technological sovereignty and intellectual property development,” Power and Niazi said.

The federal government must critically assess the shortcomings of its current strategy, draw lessons from successful international models and implement mechanisms that raise these sectors higher in the global value chain through big-picture, goal-driven investments focused on national priorities, rather than scattered short-term programs, the authors said.

“This ‘scattershot’ approach – distributing modest funds across numerous areas – contrasts sharply with the concentrated, transformative investments made by competitor countries, thus perpetuating Canada’s lag in technological leadership.”

Power and Niazi pointed out that recent studies on innovation economics show focused investments in high-potential areas yield superior outcomes compared to broad, unfocused spending, because the former enable economies of scale, deeper knowledge accumulation and breakthrough innovations.  

The mantra that “the environment and economy go hand in hand” must evolve to explicitly incorporate technology as a third pillar, they said. “In contemporary economies, the triad of environment, economy and technology drives sustainable growth.”

Canada’s prosperity thus depends on strategically deploying transformative technologies across key sectors to enhance productivity while addressing climate imperatives, Power and Niazi said. 

“By investing in upstream and downstream capabilities, Canada can capture greater value, bolstering resilience against external shocks.”

In agriculture, the federally funded Protein Industries Canada global innovation cluster has advanced tools for inputs such as AI-guided crop monitoring and smarter farm equipment to meet global demand for sustainable food.

But Canada invests far less than the U.S. and EU governments, which pour billions more into agri-tech, Power and Niazi said. “Without comparable funding, Canada risks losing its edge. Focused R&D here can generate patents and higher-value exports, not just raw food commodities.”

In forestry, they said, Canada should prioritize innovative solutions, including next-generation mass timber products for sustainable construction – addressing the housing crisis while reducing emissions – and drone-assisted reforestation.  

By shifting from raw exports to value-added products and technologies, such as advanced wood products and low-emission heavy machinery, Canada can create jobs, cut emissions and export intellectual property, “avoiding hype-driven distractions such as uneconomical hydrogen.” 

In energy, the wind and solar energy industries retain advantages in emerging and mature technologies amid the AI-driven energy surge, Power and Niazi said. “The immense power and cooling needs of data centres align with Canada’s abundant hydroelectricity and water resources, if managed sustainably.”  

Key areas include next-generation geothermal, which can leverage oil and gas industry expertise for job transitions and exportable skills; CANDU reactors, which produce valuable medical isotopes amid growing global demand; and small modular reactors, despite cost uncertainties.

Additionally, Canada’s global leadership initiative in direct air capture can offset emissions from hard-to-abate sectors, possibly including AI infrastructure, they said. “These technologies enable Canada to capitalize on the clean-energy transition.”

In critical minerals, Canada is poised to supply the backbone of AI hardware, quantum computing and clean tech because it is endowed with vast reserves of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare-earth elements such as neodymium and europium, Power and Niazi said.

The federal government’s updated critical minerals strategy emphasizes domestic refining and manufacturing, enhancing sovereignty amid geopolitical risks. The June G7 critical-minerals action plan further supports diversified supply chains.

“By advancing value-added capabilities, Canada can transition from exporter to innovator in critical components,” they said.

They said to reimagine its economy, Canada’s federal government needs a “mission government” framework (with provincial support), directing targeted government interventions toward grand challenges such as climate resilience and technological sovereignty. 

Power and Niazi recommended:

• adopting a mission-oriented strategy targeting agriculture, forestry, energy and critical minerals with strategic annual investments toward net-zero goals. 
• enhancing existing economic sectors with focused funding for AI integration and IP development. 
• partnering with provinces, municipalities and Indigenous Peoples for inclusive projects with strong social support and public benefit. Policy Options 

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Structural reforms and an enhanced evidence base are needed for science, technology and innovation policy: OECD

Fundamental structural reforms and enhancing the evidence base are required to ensure that science, technology and innovation (STI) policy remains fit-for-purpose in amid disruptive technologies and a shifting geopolitical environment, according to the Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD).

“Global challenges, rising economic security concerns, and disruptive emerging and converging technologies signify a new context for STI policy,” the OECD said in its Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2025.

The report analyzes the shifting landscape and its implications for STI systems, providing recommendations across seven chapters that lay out STI policy reforms needed to drive ambitious change.

Ambitious policy agendas, together with growing resource constraints, highlight the importance of enhancing STI policy efficiencies, according to the report.

With annual government allocations for R&D falling by 1.9 percent in 2024 in the OECD area, STI policies need to intentionally leverage synergies and mitigate trade-offs between different policy priorities so that STI support to national competitiveness, for example, can also contribute to sustainability transitions, the report said.

Governments also need to balance and exploit synergies between their direct and indirect (such as tax incentives) support measures for R&D, since both can help accelerate transformative change in complementary ways, according to the report. “Co-ordination between STI and non-STI policy areas should also be strengthened.”

Rising geopolitical tensions and strategic competition in emerging technologies are contributing to a growing securitization of STI that is reconfiguring international STI collaborations, the report noted.

Public research systems are increasingly affected as governments seek to simultaneously promote advanced capabilities and strategic autonomy in critical technology fields, protect sensitive knowledge through research security measures, and project national interests through selective partnerships and science diplomacy.

Protecting sensitive research or academic collaborations can be done in ways that don’t compromise research quality, undermine innovation and fragment co-operation on shared global challenges, the report said.

To do so, research security policies must be proportionate, precise and developed in close partnership with scientists, businesses and other parts of government.

Innovation activities typically cluster among leading firms, sectors and regions due to economies of scale and knowledge spillovers. Such clustering can lead to concentration of economic and societal benefits in limited geographic areas.

To broaden the impact, STI policies need to place greater emphasis on policies and investments to promote diffusion and to translate innovations into economy-wide productivity gains and societal benefits, the OECD’s report said.

“Widening participation in innovation is a key lever for expanding its benefits, since it can enhance both the quality and societal relevance of technological development.” 

Frontier-oriented STI policies should also consider how diffusion and adoption policies can be integrated into development efforts pushing at the technological boundary.

Structural reforms are also needed to enable national science systems to better respond to the changing policy context and enhance their contributions to major societal challenges, the report said.

Key to such reforms is enabling and valuing multidisciplinary research that can generate solutions to complex socio-economic challenges that cut across disciplines and sectors.

Reforms are also needed to develop a variety of transparent career paths that recognize and enable mobility between academia and other sectors.

Research infrastructures need more flexible support and governance mechanisms to enable them to operate together to address shared goals and promote transformative change.

Academic research also needs to embrace greater direct engagement with society through improved communication measures and citizen science programs.

To ensure these structural reforms take root, performance assessment and incentive structures need to better recognize the variety of contributions to, and outputs from, science that are necessary to promote innovation.

At the same time, governments should continue to ensure the freedom and autonomy of research, advance open science, and promote public trust in science, the report said.

Promoting multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral research becomes even more important as the convergence of technologies drives forward innovation, according to the report.

Four important technology areas – synthetic biology, neurotechnology, quantum technologies and earth observation from space – illustrate these processes.

For example, artificial intelligence is enabling protein design to create molecules with novel properties with the potential to enable personalized therapies, while its convergence with immersive technologies offers opportunities to treat mental illness. Convergence is a process of integration involving different disciplines and communities.

Governments can enhance convergence by supporting “convergence spaces,” which are physical, digital and technological infrastructures and platforms that can foster deep forms of interdisciplinary research, engineering and innovation.

Adopting an industrial ecosystem perspective that goes beyond sectoral boundaries to consider both upstream and downstream industries can contribute to designing more effective industrial policies, the report noted. 

This can also help governments to identify the full range of relevant stakeholders, including firms, startups, workers, investors, suppliers and trade partners, to design policies that better reflect the true complexity of the industrial landscape.

Using the approach, however, entails developing a robust data infrastructure that brings together granular data from multiple sources to capture the ecosystem’s complexity.

To drive change in a shifting landscape, STI policymaking must be increasingly anticipatory and agile under conditions of high uncertainty, the report said.

Practices such as strategic foresight, technology assessment and policy evaluation can provide timely insights through anticipatory and real-time evidence production, while policy experimentation can enable testing of new ideas and critical evaluation of policy impacts.

“Together, these approaches support evidence-based policymaking and boost policy agility.” Fostering their use among policymakers requires embedding them in national programs and frameworks, increasing flexibility and adaptability within bureaucratic structures, and investing in training programs for public sector officials.

Ensuring there is a clear pathway for scaling up interventions that prove successful or phasing down those that fail is also key. “Through these reforms, STI systems can help drive ambitious change.” OECD

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THE GRAPEVINE – News about people, institutions and communities

Tim Davie has resigned as BBC director general after a former adviser to the corporation accused it of “serious and systemic” bias in its coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights. In an announcement that caused shock within the corporation, Davie said his departure was “entirely my decision,” and it comes as the BBC prepares to apologize for the way it edited a Trump speech. Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, has also resigned. Sources within that department described a mood of dismay at Turness’s exit. “It feels like a coup,” one said. “This is the result of a campaign by political enemies of the BBC.” The corporation is heading into critical talks with the government over its future and funding while filling two of the biggest roles in British media. Add hyperlink 

Université Laval will be establishing the Institut des matériaux durables. This $1.2 million project will bring several materials-focused research centres together, including centres in key areas such as wood, plastics, aluminum, and optical fibres. The institute will be a hub where research, industrial partnerships, and training will come together to inform those addressing the challenges of the future. The hub will develop solutions that will improve the performance, durability, and environmental impact of materials in strategic sectors. Quebec will provide $450,000 to support the institute’s creation. ULaval

A student project at Western University has identified nearly 100 Victorian-era books in the university’s library system that contain traces of arsenic. Third-year English student Karen Wen discovered the toxic green-covered volumes—nicknamed “poison books”—while studying materials from Western’s library system. Working with Western’s Earth and Planetary Materials Analysis Laboratory, Wen confirmed the presence of copper and arsenic using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Western Special Collections Librarian Deborah Meert-Williston said the books are safe if handled with care and preserved in polyethylene bags: “I would say you wouldn’t want to take one of these books home and have a toddler chew on it,” said Meert-Williston, “[b]ut, for the most part, they’re not really dangerous.” CBC News

Several postsecondary leaders have shared their reactions to the federal government’s recently tabled Budget 2025. Representatives from institutions such as the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria lauded how the investments will attract international talent to Canada. The leaders of institutions such as Camosun College, the University of Manitoba, and the University of Winnipeg mentioned that further decreases in international student numbers will impact their financial situation. “What we’re seeing is [that] this is the new environment in Canada,” said UManitoba President Michael Benarroch. “The drop in international students is not temporary, not just for a year, but this is what we can expect going into the future.” Globe and Mail

The Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has signed a strategic partnership with the University of South Africa and iThemba LABS/NRF to strengthen academic and scientific collaboration between Québec and South Africa. The agreement will support researcher and student mobility, joint training activities, and collaborative projects in fields such as nanoscience, advanced materials, energy, health, and quantum technologies. INRS stated that the partnership will enhance Québec’s international research presence and foster stronger ties between the Global North and Global South. INRS

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