News That Matters To You

By Mark Lowey
The Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) allocated $86 million of $100 million in federal funding to accelerate 66 clean technology projects in Canada's oil and gas sector, says. Glen McCrimmon, CRIN's director of operations. CRIN-supported projects have advanced technologies deployed in operational environments, enabling companies to better measure and reduce emissions, shrink environmental footprint and improve regulatory compliance, he says.

By Mark Lowey
Canada's fragmented health technology procurement hamstrings innovation and inflates health care costs, says a new Council for Canadian Innovators report co-authored by Laurent Carbonneau and Claire Wilson. A national strategic procurement market for digital health and strategic 'Buy Canadian' policies could improve patient outcome, unlock innovation, increase productivity, and boost domestic growth, according to their report.

By Mark Lowey
Canada needs to invest more in early-stage technology startups to boost productivity and ensure the country’s long-term prosperity, investors and entrepreneurs said during a National Angel Capital Organization online roundtable. The country needs to treat investment as a "team sport," work together as an ecosystem, take more risks on early-stage startups, and get better at commercializing university R&D, they said.;

By Mark Lowey
Canada’s top startup ecosystems have lost $66 billion in value since 2019, due to structural funding gaps at the earliest stages of the startup pipeline that hobble companies' growth and subsequent investment, according to a new report by Startup Genome and the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO). Canada needs to build an "end-to-end" capital pipeline to fuel the next wave of economic growth, says NACO CEO Claudio Rojas.

By Mark Lowey
The federal government's $92-million investment in adMare Bioinnovations' spurred the creation of 39 Canadian life sciences companies, says adMare CEO Gordon McCauley. These companies have generated $2.5 billion in risk capital and 1,000 jobs, addressing a critical gap in early-stage funding for the life sciences and keeping more value from Canadian research within the country, he says.

By Mark Lowey
Investing small amounts of capital in many startups outperforms concentrated investments in a few firms and is a better use of public funding, says a new study by Kyle Briggs. Briggs, a biophysicist and entrepreneur in residence at the University of Ottawa, says his study shows Canada's risk intolerance in investment creates a negative feedback loop, resulting in missed valuable opportunities. Canada needs to rethink its approach to risk, he argues.

By Mark Lowey
Canada's lagging productivity, ranking 18th among OECD nations, prompts a $6-million national research partnership led by Trevor Tombe (University of Calgary). The initiative aims to produce practical evidence for policymakers to boost Canada's economic growth and living standards.

By Mark Lowey
The Ottawa-based Stem Cell Network's $45 million in federal funding enabled Canadian researchers to pioneer "world-first" new stem cell technologies and therapies, says Cate Murray, president and CEO of the Network. She highlights how this investment also supports training future scientists and strengthens stem cell startups, leading to potential cures for diseases like diabetes and new treatments for blood cancers and muscular dystrophies.

By Mark Lowey
Many Canadians are experimenting with AI at work without proper training or guardrails, raising questions about whether AI will contribute to productivity, says Noel Baldwin, executive director of the Future Skills Centre. In Part 2 of a Q&A interview, he emphasizes the need for adaptable skills and better coordination between government, educators and employers to ensure a resilient workforce amid rapid technological changes.