News That Matters To You

By Stephen Murgatroyd
Higher education institutions must shift from self-contained providers to stewards of distributed learning ecosystems, says Stephen Murgatroyd. To remain relevant, institutions must redesign structures to accommodate AI, employer-led credentialing and lifelong learning. Universities and colleges must become more permeable – organizationally, pedagogically and technologically, he says. Temporal structure of higher education must shift.

By Mark Lowey
Early-career researchers need supportive infrastructure, better funding and transitional career pathways to stay in Canada, leaders working in the area said at a Canadian Science Policy Centre webinar organized by the Brain Canada Foundation. Universities need to broaden academic evaluation for promotion, greater collaboration is required between academic and industry, and more domestic capital is needed to scale health tech startups, they said.

By Stephen Murgatroyd
The concept of innovation in higher education has been progressive corrupted, Stephen Murgatroyd argues. Higher education institutions engage in "innovation theatre," presenting minor changes as transformative to appease stakeholders while maintaining traditional structures, However, converging forces like AI and demographic shifts are making this approach unsustainable, requiring genuine structural redesign for long-term viability, he says.

By Mark Lowey
Angel investment capital deployed in Canada hits a five-year low with the deal count the second-lowest in five years, prompting the National Angel Capital Organization to urge the federal government to allocate $750 million to pre-seed and seed funding. NACO argues that directing funds to early-stage ventures is crucial for maintaining a robust venture capital pipeline to attract later-stage VC investment and grow and keep companies in Canada.

By Mark Lowey
The National Angel Capital Organization's largest Moonshot cohort of startups in NACO's history is aligned with Canada's national priorities. Despite their diversity across 10 sectors, the 27 companies share opportunities, including the federal government’s new focus on building out defence supply chains. The challenges include funding and commercialization challenges, needing more Canadian investment to avoid losing innovations to the U.S.

By Mark Lowey
Atlantic Canada's innovation ecosystem, rich in natural resources and expertise, can enhance its global competitiveness through coordinated and strategic public policy, according to a new report by the Council of Canadian Innovators. The region needs an intellectual property and data strategy, procurement by government, its AI companies embedded in national projects, and improved global market access, the report says.

By Mark Lowey
Benjamin Bergen, CEO of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, in a Research Money Q&A discusses his perspective on how to best spend new federal funding for a venture capital strategy; the lack of venture capital in Canada; how best to manage foreign direct investment in the country; whether AI is drawing investment away from other important areas; and the CVCA’s national conference later this month.

By Mark Lowey
Growcer's vertical farms encourage local food production and reduce food insecurity, including in Canada's North. The modular indoor farming units produce high-quality produce year-round. Company co-founders Corey Ellis and Alida Burke are making it possible, with innovative and philanthropic financing, for more communities to benefit from vertical farming, to make Canada's food production system more resilient and less dependent on imports.

By Mark Lowey
Canada could unlock over $1.8 trillion in investment by deploying corporate liquid assets that would crowd in additional capital, say Jordan Brennan and Farhad Panahov at RBC Thought Leadership. Their report outlines a proposed new capital formation framework aimed at restoring Canada's investability by targeting four types of potential investment, reducing risk and making the corporate income tax regime more competitive.