A pair of Canadian biotechnology venture capital firms have launched new programs to arm academics with entrepreneurial skills in an effort to help fix a chronic talent gap in the country’s burgeoning life sciences sector. The programs, by Lumira Ventures and Amplitude Venture Capital, join a growing mass of Canadian initiatives aiming to expand the shallow pool of domestic executives…
The federal budget highlighted the vital role biotechnology innovation is playing in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic while aiming to prepare for future pandemic needs and serves as one of the identified key sectors set to drive the economic recovery for Canada. Biotechnology featured as a priority area for the government across many program announcements, reflecting specific industry recommendations including improving…
From the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, Canada recognized it was not ready for a pandemic. “What we were not prepared for was for the pandemic to occur when it did,” said an interviewee at a panel review of Canada’s response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. “So, it caught us off guard in that it occurred when it did, that it started…
Dr. Lakshmi Krishnan explains how increased investment will greatly benefit Canada’s prospects for a future bioeconomy, allowing for the development of more early-stage innovations but more importantly, giving those companies a pathway to scaling up. A thriving bioeconomy will help Canada tackle key health issues from cancer to future pandemics.
Bioengineering and biomanufacturing are new ways of making products that we need and use every day, but they are built on old principles. I would like to illustrate how biomanufacturing works by using a couple of examples, and I am going to use medicines and soap because those are two things we really need during this pandemic. When we think about…
Former LSI Director Dr. Pieter Cullis and University of Toronto’s Shana Kelly published today an Op-Ed in the Hill Times calling for growing the biotech industry to accelerate growth of knowledge-based economy, and to promote economic prosperity. “The COVID- 19 pandemic has exposed the fact that Canada lacks biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing capacity,” write the co-authors. “At the same time,…
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) are pleased to launch a special $2.25 million funding opportunity to support activities that promote vaccine confidence in Canada. The agencies expect these activities will improve public understanding of vaccines and help Canadians to make evidence-based decisions, especially…
During times of crisis and socio-economic disruption, researchers provide key knowledge that can pave the way for a more promising future for Canadians. Their research can offer clear and diverse insights to help Canada navigate complex social, economic, public health and political challenges. Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced that the Government of Canada has…
Once again this year, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is pleased to remind the community of an important funding opportunity for Canadian researchers interested in ambitious, international projects in the life sciences. Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Research Grants support innovative basic research into fundamental biological problems with emphasis placed on novel and interdisciplinary approaches…
Following the federal government’s investment of $40M to create 5,000 new internships, Mitacs is pleased to report that all of the work-integrated learning opportunities stipulated in the agreement have been generated. The purpose of the additional internships created midway through the federal budget cycle was to help post-secondary students and businesses across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new internships are…