Canada tops at R&D investment, but domestic commercialization difficult
While Canada has been recognized for pumping billions of dollars into public sector research and development and having one of the most generous R&D tax credit programs in the world, industrial R&D spending hasn’t picked up and the transformation of work from the lab bench into products in the hands of consumers has proven to […]
Industry players still waiting for government’s national digital strategy
While some industry players say they’re happy the federal government is crafting a national digital economy strategy, they question the government’s understanding of the digital economy and why it isn’t moving faster to support it given that Canada has been falling behind its peers in internet-related benchmarks. Industry Minister Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.), in […]
Innovation lagging, but feds promise comprehensive review of R&D support, says Clement
The Canadian biotechnology industry has a competitive advantage but organizations such as the Council of Canadian Academies and the Science, Technology and Innovation Council recognize that business innovation is also lagging behind other comparable countries. It’s why the government will conduct a comprehensive review of its support for research and development, says Industry Minister Tony […]
Biotechnology agriculture industry lobbies hard against Atamanenko’s private member’s bill
An NDP private member’s bill had the biotechnology industry lobbying Parliamentarians last week that if they pass it into law, it could stifle future Canadian innovation of new crop varieties and cause the agricultural biotechnology industry to stagnate. Meanwhile, organic growers, the National Farmers Union and others are urging Parliamentarians to support the bill to […]
Biotech companies downsizing, blame a lack of capital funding
Performance Plants Inc. was seen as the star of Kingston, Ont.-based budding knowledge-based economy. With 29 employees there and another six in New York State, the 15-year-old company spent years developing genetically modified crops that are more tolerant to drought. “Kingston firm sows the seeds of success,” read a headline in The Kingston Whig Standard […]
A grand innovative challenge with Africa: Africa research chairs
A grand challenge, according to the newly-launched Grand Challenges Canada, is a barrier that, if overcome, would help solve an urgent development-related problem in the developing world with the likelihood of global impact through widespread implementation. There have been a number of examples of this over the past decade, including the Gates Foundation Grand Challenges […]
It’s time to lay the bricks for a biotech future
Over the past few decades, biotechnology has emerged as a key sector in the Canadian economy. It is estimated that the “bio-economy” has an $84.7-billion share of Canada’s GDP, or 6.9 per cent of Canada’s overall economy. Through environmental applications to climate change, improved health outcomes, and feeding global populations with better crops, nutrients and […]
‘We’re the outlier of developed healthcare economies’ in Canada
Gordon McCauley is set to start the final study on his pharmaceutical company Allon Therapeutics Inc.’s drug to fight a rare brain disorder, before seeking regulatory approval. But although the company is based in Vancouver, B.C., he will seek to get his drug approved first in the United States. “We’re proud to be a Canadian […]
Improving competitiveness and food sovereignty go hand-in-hand
“Competitiveness” is often assumed to be about market liberalization and deregulation. In Quebec, the agricultural sector, in particular, but also the public, at large, is increasingly aware that liberalization and deregulation can backfire. That is why food sovereignty has become an unavoidable issue when improving competitiveness is on the agenda. Food sovereignty is a nation’s […]
Feds need a food strategy
After years of deteriorating farm income, mounting debt and ill-designed income stability programs, can life on Canadian farms get worse? It certainly appears so. The government is forecasting that the price of many farm commodities will decline in 2010. And despite a complete overhaul by the Conservative government, farm income programs are causing the same […]
