GenOmics

Media Release, April 4, 2012. Bethesda, Maryland - To help foster the next generation of global health scientists, Fogarty International Center and its partners at the National Institutes of Health are building a network of U.S. academic institutions to provide early-career physicians, veterinarians, dentists and scientists with a significant mentored research experience in a developing country.

About $20.3 million in total will be awarded over the next five years to support 400 early-career health scientists on nearly year-long research fellowships in 27 low- and middle-income countries. The Fogarty Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars program will provide five consortia of academic institutions with about $4 million each over five years, to support the training activities of a total of 20 partner institutions. In addition to Fogarty, 15 NIH institutes and centers plan to...

Media Release, 20 March 2012

The Board of Governors of the Wellcome Trust has approved the creation of a new business that will invest in emerging businesses and technologies in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. The business's initial capital will be £200 million, drawn from the Wellcome Trust's endowment. The business is currently operating under the working title Project Sigma, and a name and brand identity will be announced shortly.

Sigma will be a directly owned and managed business that will seek to deliver attractive returns on the capital it invests. It will provide financial resources with which to advance the Wellcome Trust's vision of achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health by supporting the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities.

Canadian universities attract the brightest and best researchers with federal fundingMedia Release, Ottawa, ON, Mar 13, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Researchers at universities across Canada will continue to make advances in disease prevention and treatment, informational technology, sustainable development, and business and management practices, among many other areas, thanks to a federal investment in the Canada Research Chairs Program. The funding announcement was made today by the Hono...

Improving the quality of life of Canadians by developing more effective treatmentsMedia Release, Ottawa, Ontario(January 31, 2012) – The Harper Government today announced an important investment that will help Canadians in getting more effective treatments and make the healthcare system more sustainable through personalized medicine. The announcement was made by the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology...

Request for Applications (RFA) Genomics and Personalized Health A Genome Canada – CIHR PartnershipGenome Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is seeking proposals for large-scale research projects which focus on the application of genomics1 in the area of Personalized Health. Through this partnership Genome Canada will implement an important element of its Strategic Plan (2012-2017) and CIHR will launch its Personalized Medici...

Genome Canada will be providing information about its upcoming competition. The information session will take place on December 9, 2011 in 2-1 Council Chambers, University Hall, from 1-2 p.m.

Richard Fedorak, Associate Vice-President (Research), and Heather Smith, Genome Alberta Program Coordinator, will be there to answer your questions. David Wishart will also be presenting on The Metabolomics Innovation Centre, a Genome Canada-funded project. Heather will be available after the session to discuss project ideas/proposals with interested researchers.

Media Release, Toronto, November 24, 2011 – The Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) has announced a new funding program to cover the cost of laboratory equipment for secondary school science classes.

The OGI Genomics Equipment Grant awards $3,000 to cover the cost, or assist with, the purchase of new laboratory equipment, as well as $1,000 to cover the costs of consumables for the equipment. The grant is open to all grade 11 and 12 life sciences teachers and departments in publically funded Ontario secondary schools.

Media Release, November 10, 2011, Toronto – GlaxoSmithKline Inc. (GSK) today announced the launch of the GSK Canada Life Sciences Innovation Fund, a new national $50 million fund that will significantly advance the commercialization of scientific innovation in Canada by investing in early stage breakthrough research. The fund will identify strategic investment opportunities within Canada’s life sciences industry including academic and health institutions, translational research centres and st...

Top Canadian, Top 16 Standing at International Synthetic Biology Competition The University of Lethbridge’s International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) team is the top team in Canada, and has made it to the top eight per cent of all teams entered at the International Genetically Engineered Machines competition in Boston, Massachusetts, which wrapped up Monday, Nov. 7.

The team can be available for interviews on reasonable notice on Wednesday, Nov.9.

They presented their most recent research on a petrochemical-eating bacteria their group has designed, and how it could be used to help clean up water in tailings ponds – a byproduct of the bitumen refining process in which water that cannot be recycled is deposited into large ponds to settle. Their work has attracted attention and funding from several organizations, including the Oil Sands Initiative. http://www.uleth.ca/notice/display.html?b=13&s=14375

London, September 28, 2011 - The international Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) today announced $48.9 million in new funding has been attained. This renewed investment will allow the SGC to further develop its open access research program to support drug discovery and the development of new medicines. The announcement comes as the SGC on June 30 successfully completed its second phase of funding (2007-2011).

Formed in 2004, the SGC is supported by public and private sector funding and all of its findings are made available to the global research community without restriction. Since its inception, the SGC has contributed more than 1,300 high quality three-dimensional protein structures to the public domain. The wealth of structural information generated by the SGC may impact human health by providing research reagents/protocols and robust frameworks for structure-guided discovery of new medicines...

The November 22nd deadline for funding applications under the Joint Synthetic Biology Initiative is approaching quickly.

The Joint Synthetic Biology Initiative (JSBI) is a partnership between the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Up to £2.4M has been earmarked to the call for proposals and we expect to fund approximately 20 high quality, innovative projects. It is expected that requested project costs will typically be up to £120k with duration between 6 and 24 months. The management and administration of the call will be provided by BBSRC.

Media Release, Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The National Institutes of Health announced that it is awarding $143.8 million to challenge the status quo with innovative ideas that have the potential to propel fields forward and speed the translation of research into improved health for the American public.

These awards are granted under three innovative research programs supported by the NIH Common Fund: the NIH Director’s Pioneer, New Innovator, and Transformative Research Projects Awards. The Common Fund, enacted into law by Congress through the 2006 NIH Reform Act, supports trans-NIH programs with a particular emphasis on innovation and risk taking.

Programming bacteria for 'patterned growth' could help advance stem cell researchMedia Release, HOUSTON -- (Sept. 12, 2011) -- Sometimes it's good to start with a clean slate.

That's the idea behind a new four-year, $2 million research program at Rice University and the University of Washington that aims to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by modifying run-of-the-mill bacteria with sophisticated genetic circuits. Researchers say their plan to create bacteria that form geometrical patterns could help scientists better understand the behavior of stem cells.

Media Release, August 15th

VICTORIA – The Province is providing $25 million to Genome BC in support of its ongoing research in the areas of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, human health, bioenergy, mining and the environment.

This funding from the Ministry of Health, will allow Genome BC to continue harnessing the power of genomics research and work toward providing solutions to current challenges faced by sectors important to B.C.

Media Release, August 25th, 2011

New medical prototypes and diagnostic tools in commercialization pipelineVancouver, BC – Technology development in the life sciences sector received a much-needed boost with the announcement of five projects funded through Genome BC’s Proof of Concept (POC) Program. Genome BC’s program promises close to $9 million to accelerate the commercialization process for technological innovations in the life sciences. The program is intended to provide bridge funding to move innovations further down th...

Media Release

VERO BEACH, Fla., Aug. 11, 2011 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a waste-to-energy bioprocessing facility under construction in Florida today to announce that the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy crops. The grants are part of a broader effort by the Obama administration to develop domestic renewable energy and advance...

It may only be the first week of August but it is time to start setting up your travel schedule for the Fall.

If you are involved in science, technology or research in Canada, the 3rd Canadian Science Policy Conference definitely needs to be on your list.

I was on the organizing committee for the first conference and can support the conference claim that it is a grassroots event. It wasn't created by a think tank, government agency or even a non-profit organization. It was a group of people, mostly post-doc students, who were concerned about the nature of Canada's science policy. Perhaps more accurately they felt there was no policy to speak of and that the country and its research community were falling behind the rest of the world. That core...

Media Release

Supporting a new generation of researchers in social sciences and humanities(OTTAWA, Ont. July 28, 2011) ―The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), today announced a significant federal investment in the development of research talent among Canada’s top graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the social sciences and humanities. This investment of $116 million will support more than 2,500 of Canada’s emerging research leaders with funding awarded through...

WASHINGTON, DC, USA –

The Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have signed a ground-breaking Letter of Intent (LOI) to Cooperate on Research and Innovation Initiatives today at the BIO International Convention in Washington, DC. The LOI recognizes the two provinces’ history of cooperation in areas such as electricity, transportation and emergency response, and focuses on key priority areas of mutual interest in the research and innovation areas:

Crop agricultureBioenergy, bioproducts and environmentHuman and animal health.The Life Science Association of Manitoba (LSAM) and Ag-West Bio Inc., the biotechnology sector membership organizations in both provinces, applaud the nature of the LOI.

Media Contact:

Kathleen Shaffer

410-902-5053