1. Ontario Centres of Excellence to flex financial muscle under new leadership

    February 25, 2010 by AURP Canada

    RE$EARCH MONEY
    January 25, 2009

    Leadership of Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc (OCE), one of Ontario’s key innovation engines, is being taken up by technology commercialization veteran Tom Corr. Effective March 1st, Corr will move from his current position at the University of Waterloo and its affiliated Accelerator Centre and guide the organization which has recently expanded and taken on a wide range of new responsibilities aimed at stimulating the uptake of S&T in the province’s diverse business community.

    OCE is currently being led by interim CEO David Choat, who stepped into the breach following the September 25th departure of Mark Romoff after a five-year term.

    With an annual budget of approximately $100 million, OCE had demonstrated impressive flexibility over its 23-year history, with its most recent evolution beginning in 2004 with the amalgamation of several semi-autonomous centres into a single corporate entity. Since that time, it has taken on several new mandates including a collaborative working relationship with MaRS Discovery District and a Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR).

    For Corr, heading up such a dynamic organization represents the culmination of a career that began with more than 30 years in the software sector, including the founding, management and sale of two start-ups. A career in commercialization followed teaching stints at the University of Toronto, McMaster University and the University of Waterloo. At the latter, Corr was associate VP commercialization and CEO of its affiliated Accelerator for Commercialization Excellence (ACE). Prior to joining the University of Waterloo, he worked at the U of T as director of commercialization (information technology and communications).

    “The OCE took off five years ago when the five centres were brought together. It’s worked well and allowed MRI (Ministry of Research and Innovation) to focus on areas they see as important for the Ontario economy,” says Corr. “It’s quite a large organization now with a total budget of about $100 million… There are now six centres and more opportunities than there are resources.”

    In recent years, the provincial government has chosen OCE to embark on a number of new ventures, often in collaboration with other partners such as the MaRS Discovery District and the University of Waterloo’s ACE. More recently, the Ontario government realigned its program offerings with four areas of focus under the moniker, Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE). The OCE was charged with heading up the province’s efforts in academic-industry collaboration.

    Perhaps even more significantly, OCE was chosen to head up a new federal CECR called the Centre for the Commercialization of Research, giving the organization added clout. MaRS was also chosen to run a new CECR (MaRS Innovation) to augment its role as a business accelerator, focused on the development of entrepreneurial talent required to run new technology ventures.

    “We want to pick winners and losers at a very early stage. We’re also working closely with MaRS to ensure that we work in a complementary fashion,” says Corr.

    In the near term, however, Corr will face the prospect of possible budget cuts due to the province’s growing deficit which stands at $25 billion. But speculation of across the board cuts have not hindered his enthusiasm for honing OCE into a potent agent for economic growth. “We have a good shot at sustaining our level of funding because we’re all about creating jobs,” he says.

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  2. GreenCentre to find promising Green Chemistry technologies

    February 24, 2010 by AURP Canada

    February 24, 2010

    Kingston, ON – GreenCentre Canada has reached another key milestone with today’s announcement of funding for two Canadian researchers whose Green Chemistry breakthroughs are seen as having strong potential for industrial application.

    Dr. Andrew Grant of Mount Allison University and Dr. Robert Singer of St. Mary’s University will each receive $25,000 in proof-of-principle (POP) funding to further advance their research.

    Organic super conducting polymer

    Dr. Grant is developing organic super conducting polymers with the potential to operate efficiently at temperatures of greater than or equal to -298C (liquid nitrogen temperatures). To date, these so-called “high-temperature” superconducting materials have been made from inorganic superconducting materials have been made from inorganic materials with limited utility due to their brittleness.

    Dr. Grant’s organic-based technology uses polymeric materials that are more durable, less brittle, and more easily processed than conventional inorganic superconductors without forfeiting the energy efficiency associated with high temperature process. While conventional superconducting materials become functional at extremely low temperatures (i.e. cooled by liquid helium), these “high temperature” superconductors can function at slightly higher (-196C) temperatures, achievable with liquid nitrogen cooling. Importantly, liquid nitrogen is less expensive and energy-intensive to produce than liquid helium.

    Potential uses of the new technology include medical imaging equipment, highly efficient electric transmission lines, and superconducting magnets used in low-friction train lines.

    New generation of ionic liquids

    Elimination of harmful metals from industrial wastewater streams continues to be a challenge using today’s remediation technologies. Current methods often require large amounts of energy and chemicals that are themselves toxic. Dr. Singer’s work advances a novel method of removing metal ions from wastewater using what are known as “ionic liquids”. These specialized compounds can effectively remove a wide variety of metals from wastewater using less energy and without the risk of releasing toxic chemicals in the process.

    GreenCentre is supporting Dr. Singer in his development of next generation ionic liquids specifically designed for large-scale water purification.

    “It is extremely gratifying to have reached the point in our operations where we are now able to begin putting real support behind some of the highly promising green technologies that have come to us from Canada’s universities,” says Dr. Rui Resendes, GreenCentre’s Executive Director. “We are experiencing strong momentum in our work of helping to advance Canada’s innovation agenda through the transformation of breakthrough research into economic opportunities and environmental benefits.”

    GreenCentre brings together leading Green Chemistry researchers from universities across Canada, national and international industry partners, and commercialization experts in a common goal of identifying and developing clean, less energy-intensive alternatives to traditional chemical products and manufacturing processes. Its collaborative commercialization approach includes everything from technology assessment, scale-up and testing to intellectual property protection, business management and financial resources.

    GreenCentre expects to award up to 30 POP funding grants annually in support of technologies that have strong commercialization potential but require further basic research or testing before they can be reassessed for its market value.

    “This funding from GreenCentre Canada is critical and welcome assistance in our quest for a more sustainable future through our research efforts in Green Chemistry,” says Dr. Singer. “Such funding will hopefully enable us to develop our research to the point where it is viable enough to warrant further development through collaboration with potential industrial partners.”

    “The GreenCentre funding will strengthen Mount Allison University’s emerging Green Chemistry research cluster,” says Dean of Science Dr. Jeff Ollerhead. “Not only will it contribute to the development of an important new environmental technology, it will also contribute to training a new generation of green chemists.”

    Formed less than a year ago, GreenCentre has been enthusiastically received by both the academic and industrial sectors. It has already received about 90 technology disclosures from Canadian universities and is now negotiating a number of license agreements to bring technologies into the centre for further development.

    Funded by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Research and Innovation and by the Government of Canada as a national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, GreenCentre is scheduled to move into its new state-of-the-art lab and scale-up facility by late spring.

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  3. Recession is over, Google finance chief says

    by AURP Canada

    By Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew

    Toronto – The recession is over. Just ask Google.

    Last year, the world’s most popular search engine saw a shift in the queries it was receiving. The hunt for coupons and discounts gradually gave way to searching for products, cars and travel. And the trend is continuing.

    “It gives you the sense that people are not holding back the way they were a year ago,” said Patrick Pichette, chief financial officer of Google, Inc.

    Pichette made the remarks to reporters following a breakfast speech at the Economic Club of Canada Tuesday.

    The affable Pichette, a former Bell Canada executive who attended university in Montreal, began his remarks with jokes about driving in the snow and praised the work of computer science engineers at the University of Waterloo, which he visited this week. Google has an engineering office at the university’s research and technology park.

    Pichette has about 20 years’ experience in financial operations and management in the telecommunications sector. That includes a seven-year stint at Bell Canada, where he served as CFO from 2002 through 2003.

    He has a business degree from Universite du Quebec a Montreal, and a master’s degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

    Pichette lived up to one of Google’s famous sayings: You don’t have to wear a suit to be serious. He took to the podium wearing a blazer with dark jeans and pair of well-worn New Balance running shoes.

    The recover, now arrived, seems to be picking up some momentum, Pichette said.

    “Having said that, in the digital world, it’s all guns blazing. There was no recession. There is no recession and there will be no recession.”

    There are about 1.7 billion Internet users in the world today, according to Google. In the top 16 countries for internet use, about one-third of leisure time – that’s about one in three minutes – is spent online.

    By some estimates, he continued, about five exabytes (that’s one billion billion) of digital information was produced in 2002. That’s believed to be equal to all the words ever spoken by human beings up to 2002.

    Today, about five exabytes of information goes online every 48 hours. “That’s the world we live in,” Pichette said. “We have to get used to this.”

    He also described the “Google beliefs”, the tenants by which the company operates.

    Everything that is offline will be online. Referring to books, Pichette said, “I buy books for the pleasure of buying paper now, but that’s because I am old.”

    Cloud computing, using the internet to share software and computer resources, rather than an individual laptop or limited network, will be the norm, he said.

    Innovation is cheap, Pichette added. “What used to be huge barriers to entry are gone. The only barriers are ideas and entrepreneurship.”

    Pichette’s comments also touched on Google’s mystique. In passing, he mentioned monthly meetings with Google’s engineers.

    “It’s an incredible privilege to be in that room. They’re crazy, they’re wonderful,” he said.

    “There is a digital world coming at us and it’s coming at us like a wall.

    Record news services

     

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  4. ICT sector booming

    February 23, 2010 by AURP Canada

    Economy: Atlantic Canada’s information and communication technologies sector rapidly expanding, but region must spend more, latest APEC report reveals

    By John Pollack
    For the Telegraph-Journal

    Atlantic Canada’s information communication technology sector has expanded by almost 50 per cent over the last decade, but the rgion needs to spend more on technologies, states an Atlantic Provinces Economic Council report released Tuesday.

    The ICT industry contributed an estimated $2.65 billion to the regional economy in 2008, 3.7 per cent of GDP, up from 2.5 per cent in 1997, a 48 per cent increase.

    New Brunswick was slightly ahead of the average at 3.9 per cent, up from 2.7 per cent.

    But the East Coast lagged behind the national average of 4.4 per cent of GDP in 2008, up from 2.9 per cent in 1997.

    Despite the comparative position, David Chaundy, the think-tank’s chief economist, said the regional growth is a positive trend that must continue.

    “Where is the potential growth in this region coming from?” Chaundy said. “ICT is going to be an increasingly important part of the global economy.”

    As the world becomes more computerized and technology becomes more advanced, companies producing the goods and services will generate more wealth for their region.

    These technologies can also make any business more productive, but some companies in Atlantic Canada aren’t buying enough of the products and services, Chaundy said.

    Organizations spent $1,690 on ICT per worker on average in 2007, only 80 per cent of the national $2,110 ICT investment per worker.

    “We’ve slipped behind the rest of the nation in terms of investments on software, computers and other technologies,” Chaundy said. “We’re going to slide further behind if we don’t catch up.”

    New Brunswick spent the least on technology at $1,630 per worker, but Nova Scotia helped bring the average down as well only spending $1,670 per employee, while Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. spent $1,770 and $1,860 per worker, respectively.

    “New Brunswick has had a history of leadership in the telecommunications sector,” Chaudy said referring to the McKenna-era call centre boom. “But are we still seeing the broader ICT investment?”

    This is a top concern for the New Brunswick IT Council.

    The three-month old organization will develop a program throughout this quarter to encourage more ICT investment.

    “We’re going to work on communicating the opportunities technology can bring,” said Scott MacIntosh, co-chairman of the council.

    Richard LeBlanc, president and chief executive of the New Brunswick Business Council, said ICT workers are important to all businesses.

    “It’s not just ICT companies but ICT positions within various sectors,” he said.

    He wouldn’t comment how much ICT investment is needed because his organization hasn’t studied it, but he said it is important.

    “We have to look at ways we can retain our employees and one of the ways is to invest in on-going education, leadership training and IT,” he said. “I would see investment in IT as investment in the future growth of our sectors in New Brunswick.”

    The APEC report said that the region has 2,000 firms employing 32,000 people, paying them about 20 per cent higher wages than the average for all other industries.

    Given these numbers, LeBlanc said the sector’s growth is encouraging and needs to continue.

    “Do we need more high paying jobs?” he said. “Absolutely.”

    New Brunswick’s ICT share of provincial GDP, 3.9 per cent, is ahead of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2.8 per cent and P.E.I., 3.0 per cent, but behind Nova Scotia, 4.3 per cent.

    The IT council is happy with the growth so far and is planning programs to help continue to expand the sector.

    Statistics Canada puts New Brunswick’s ICT percentage of the GDP at 3.8 per cent while the province quotes nine per cent.

    The numbers can vary depending on what is considered ICT. Larger figures often include contact centers, which provide services over the phone and internet, but many of those products and services may not considered information communication technologies.

     

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  5. OnX Enterprise Solutions helps organization optimize use of technology

    by AURP Canada

    By Glenna Hanley
    The Daily Gleaner

    A Canadian IT company that has survived the booms and bust of the high tech industry is starting to put down roots in the Atlantic region with its first branch office in Fredericton.

    OnX Enterprise Solutions, an IT solutions provider, established an office here in July and will soon add another in Halifax.

    OnX is privately owned, with headquarters in Toronto. First created in 1983, it is one of the older IT companies, with offices in five major cities and in Cambridge, Ont. in Canada and offices in Dallas, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, and one in the United Kingdom.

    The company employs about 250 and uses as many as 100 independent contractors.

    Greg Guy, general manager for the eastern region and based on Ottawa, said in a telephone interview there was always a plan to expand into the Atlantic provinces.

    “What drove that a little bit faster than even I anticipated was that Ryan (Veino) was working for us here in Ottawa and, like all good Maritimers, wanted to go home.”

    Ryan Vieno, who grew up in Nova Scotia, is a senior consultant and OnX’s first representative in the Atlantic provinces. By February there will be a second one, located in Halifax.

    Guy said Veino was one of the most senior technical resources in the Ottawa office so he was the best choice to send to Fredericton.

    “We knew he would serve us well and be a great first person on the ground in the Atlantic provinces,” said Guy.

    For his part Veino said he’s happy to be back in the Maritimes. But aside from that he saw that Fredericton had a particular potential for his company.

    “When we looked at the Atlantic provinces Fredericton was definitely on the map because a lot of other IT companies were starting to locate here or have roots here. I certainly took into account that Fredericton was voted one of the top intelligent communities in the world,” said Veino.

    Since coming here in July, Veino has already had contact with government representatives, talking about potential projects.

    OnX is a multifaceted organization, providing a range of services, mainly to large companies and organization, including banks, insurance companies, universities, hospitals and all three levels of government.

    “The Atlantic provinces customers are the same as customers elsewhere. They’re looking for organizations to help them work their way through what is sometimes a pretty complicated decision as far as what to build and how to build it and how to implement it,” said Guy.

    What enables the company to deliver a broad range of services is its partnerships with other IT companies, many of them already operating in Atlantic Canada.

    One of the largest is Cisco, and American-based multinational IT giant. OnX holds a gold certification from Cisco. Other partners are EMC, a storage organization and BM Ware.

    “When we are helping a client is coming up with a solution it’s always a mix of a technical architect, the technical folks that come up with a design, guys like Ryan, and specific products. So we do a lot of work with Cisco-based solutions,” said Guy.

    Helping organization to optimize the use of the technology and infrastructure they already have is one of OnX’s areas of expertise. Another is data centres.

    “There is quite a bit of advancement in data centre technology over the last couple of years.

    “There is a way to design, build and operate them to make them more efficient. That is certainly a sweet spot for us,” said Guy.

    There may be other companies in this area that do what they do but Guy said OnX picks leading technology companies as partners. And in addition they will always choose the product and solutions that are best for their client.

    “We work for our client and they like our unbiased, objective view of technology assessment.”

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  6. New Strategy: Ambir moves beyond IT

    by AURP Canada

    Service: Firm launches business solution practice

    By John Pollack
    Telegraph-Journal

    A prominent Maritime IT firm is expanding beyond technology.

    Traditionally an IT-solutions-for-businesses provider, Ambir recently launched a business solution practice that will offer consulting on business strategy, transition and smaller transitions.

    The new line of business was launched after many of the firm’s senior consultants and executives found that they were working on issues for clients that had little or nothing to do with technology, and more to do with improving their clients business.

    “The technology is only a small part of what tends to be a broader change initiative,” said Phil Holmes, Ambir’s vice president in charge of the new business solutions service. “Very often it’s about the people and the overall direction of the business.”

    To help the firm shape its new business line and shape its clients’ businesses, Ambir announced last week it has recruited former Atlantic Lottery Corp. chief operations officer Adrienne O’Pray.

    “It’s sort of in the building phases,” O’Pray said of the new line of business. “I’ll have a lot of opportunity in shaping that, so it’s pretty interesting.”

    Prior to her six-year stint at the regional gambling corporation, O’Pray worked for NBTel and was around when the company’s successor, Aliant Inc, was starting to have competition.

    “A lot of what I’ve done is to explore strategy and make it come real,” she said.

    O’Pray will be working two-days-a-week for Ambir while she spends more time with her young family and other commitments.

    The new business line will help Ambir provide “end-to-end” solutions for its clients, Holmes said.

    “Very often technology solutions is only in reaction to some broader change or trend,” he said.

    The company expects its existing technology clients may be interesting in the new service and future business solutions projects may have a technology component to them and vice versa.

    The new service line put Ambir in more direct competition with large international consulting firms such as Deloitte.

    “Any large consulting firm can offer advice on strategy,” Holmes said. “Where we believe we have an advantage is that we can help organizations with sustainable business models.”

    The business solutions practice will initially focus on the Atlantic Canadian market before expanding to other parts of Canada and the United States.

    “There are lots of great businesses out there, but we find businesses which were great when they were set up aren’t necessarily best position to play in an increasingly global market,” Holmes said. “The business solutions practice is about evolving business from where you are to where you want to be, to make sure you have continued relevance in the global market place.”

    Ambir, which employs about 55 people in its offices in Fredericton, Saint John and Halifax, only has the two employees working on the business solutions practice compared to about 40 on the technology side, with the remaining employees in executive or administrative jobs.

    Holmes plans to hire three more to his team in the next few months and the division could continue to multiply in staff over the next year or two depending on how well it does.

    “(But) the technology will still be our core service in the short-term,” he said.

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  7. Professor knows need for speed

    February 22, 2010 by AURP Canada

    By Paola Loriggio
    Telegraph-Journal

    Computers UNB researcher working on Java Virtual Machine efficiency

    University of New Brunswick researcher Kenneth Kent plans to make computer systems – from the top online shops to government servers – run faster.

    The computer science professor has spent years improving Java Virtual Machine, a set of computer software programs and data structures that allow Java applications to run on various operating systems. Java is a popular programming language with widespread commercial use.

    Now he’s preparing to take the help of a new centre at the university’s Fredericton campus that will work to speed up Java Virtual Machine on large, complex computer systems.

    The centre, a partnership with IBM, will have some 20 staff and employees about as many graduate students from UNB’s Faculty of Computer Science, according to a statement by the university. The project will receive roughly $3 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over four years. Total costs should reach $5.1 million.

    Eventually, the centre “will have a larger team working on Java technologies than IBM has in its commercial shop in Ottawa,” Kent said in a phone interview from his campus office.

    The project could bring short- and long-term jobs to Fredericton, boost the university’s reputation as a leader in technological research and reduce the province’s brain drain in computer science, Kent said.

    He wants to show student they have options in the province, and hopes IBM will set up a permanent facility in Fredericton if the project proves successful. “We product good workers, but they’re always running away to Ontario,” he said.

    IBM spokeswoman Carrie Bendzsa said the company “works with specific professors on specific projects,” but wouldn’t say whether it would set up shop in New Brunswick after the project is over.

    The centre is “a recognition of the high caliber of staff and research taking place as UNB,” Bendzsa wrote in an email. “Some of our new graduate working on cutting-edge projects like the Java Virtual Machine come from UNB.”

    For students, the centre is a foot in the door of a top company as it races to enhance efficiency on multi-core computer systems, Kent said.

    Computer companies can’t make processors – also called the “cores” much faster, so they can boost performance by linking several processor, he said. Some gaming systems boast 32 processors, he said.

    As multi-core systems gain in power, the often lose in efficiency, the computer science professor added. Most problems concern memory and communication, he said.

    “It’s like going from one employee to 32,” he explains. “You have two challenges, where to put the information so everyone can get it and how to make it so that all the workers are talking to each other.”

    The centre will work to identify bottlenecks and low-performance areas while running Java Virtual Machine technologies on multi-core systems, Kent said. The team will then design algorithms to fix these problems.

    He expects some progress within a year, but the bulk should occur in the third and fourth years. The software tools and techniques created by Kent’s team could hit the market quickly, thanks to the direct link with IBM, he said.

    “Practically, everything would go faster,” he said of the impact on consumers, noting Service New Brunswick’s back-end servers run on Java. Online stores such as Amazon also include Java applications.

    Ken came late into the world of computing. While at Memorial University, he studied history and math, with the ultimate goal of becoming a teacher like his parents.

    He took a mandatory computer science class as part of his math coursework. “I liked it, and I did well, so I thought, ‘I should do another one’” he said.

    When his computer grades surpassed his marks in history, Kent switched minors. When they topped those he got in math, he made computer science his major.

    As a master’s student, he started tinkering with Java Virtual Machine. He modified networked computers to execute the program on several machines at once. At the PhD level, he worked with a supervisor to blend the program with hardware/software co-design.

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  8. Celebrate your innovative achievements

    by AURP Canada

    By Reid Southwick
    Telegraph-Journal

    Report Saint John area focus group told success stories aren’t being properly communicated

    Greater Saint John is already home to innovative and successful companies, and doesn’t have to change very much, but the region is not able to effectively tell its success stories, a new report concludes.

    Officials for the area should measure and monitor those successes and celebrate achievements, says the report, compiled by consultants for two local economic development groups, the Saint John Board of Trade and Enterprise Saint John.

    “Such an influential group as the Board of Trade needs to be tapping its collective membership on their shoulders and saying, tell us how you’re innovating in your little shop,” said Gary Stairs, co-author and CEO of Stellar Learning Strategies. “Or, on an annual basis, who is going to win the innovator of the year award?”

    Stairs and co-author Chris Baker, CEO of Continuum Research, held a focus group with 18 business and civic officials last November about whether they consider their organizations to be innovative and how innovation is achieved, among other considerations.

    Their final report largely concludes that Saint John was and continues to be home to many important innovators, including iMagicTV, a now-defunct company that was the first in the world to offer software for Internet protocol television, and T4G, a technology firm.

    As well, the report says, the city is the site of what authors call “social innovation”, referring to projects, programs, and organizations aimed at reducing poverty.

    The problem is that Saint John leaders are not able to properly communicate their successes, the report found.

    “Really, community leaders feel that there’s not much that need to be changed, except doing a ‘better job of telling our story and not being ashamed of where we come from’,” the report reads.

    “Saint John is no longer a blue collar, industrial community as it was 30 years ago – it is white collar with blue stitching – perhaps all it needs is a new package or a pretty ribbon.”

    Focus group participants said there is a need to change the external – and internal – perceptions of the city, celebrate past, present and future innovation, and attract “visionary” leadership to inspire others.

    “Although a big infusion of population as seen as helpful, more importantly, it was stated that Saint John needs visionary, well-informed and inspired influences and leadership at all levels in the community,” the report reads.

    “The emerging imperative, then, is for the region to attract energetic, youthful and potentially understated leaders who can engage beyond the regional perspective as well as advance the important dialogue among the five regional communities.”

    Stairs said economic development groups should also play a role in fostering “innovation.” Enterprise Saint John should continue to lure innovative investors and businesses to the region, while Fusion Saint John has to keep attracting young people, he said.

    At propellCT, a non-profit association focused on growing the information and communications technology sector, should continue its work, Stairs said.

    “It’s all of those in concert,” he said. “I wish I could say there was a big A-bomb of innovation that I’m about to drop.”

    The 18 officials involved in the focus group were Jane Barry, David Baxter, Andrew Beckett, Jane Fullerton, Randy Hatfield, Dale Knox, Wendy MacDermott, Glenn MacLean, Bob McVicar, Shawn Peterson, Eric Poirier, Anita Punamiya, David Reid, Jeff Roach, Claire Ryan, Eric Savoie, Marilyn Singh, and Jennifer Tupper.

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  9. KIRA to recognize achievements in the N.B. knowledge industry

    by AURP Canada

    By The Daily Gleaner

    It’s time to celebrate New Brunswick’s best in the knowledge industry with the call for nominations for the 12th annual KIRA Awards.

    This year’s event is expected to attract close to 450 knowledge industry professionals from around the province.

    The deadline for nominations in March 26th.

    The Awards ceremony will be held on May 6 at the Delta Fredericton Hotel.

    KIRA 2010 will honour excellence in New Brunswick’s knowledge industry by recognizing companies and individuals.

    Hosted by Enterprise Fredericton, KRIA has seven award categories. Visit www.kirawards.ca to see listings and entry forms.

    New Brunswick companies and individuals can initiate their entries or be nominated by someone else.

    “In New Brunswick, we have lots of amazing work being developed that we should be proud of,” said KIRA 2010 co-chairwoman Colleen Benson. “The KIRA Awards give New Brunswick’s knowledge industry the opportunity to profile companies and individuals leading the way in entrepreneurship and innovation.”

    “Receiving a KIRA Award remains coveted in its recognition,” said co-chairwoman Carolyn Kervin. “In a vibrant industry such as this one, these awards have truly become a symbol of peer recognition and achievement of the highest standard.”

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  10. Agfa HealthCare Breaks Ground in Waterloo; Bolstering Investment in Healthcare IT Innovation

    February 19, 2010 by AURP Canada

    Agfa Healthcare announces new facility to support research & development, commercialization of healthcare technology and drive job creation.

    Waterloo, ON – February 18, 2010 – Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, today announced the construction of the new global Agfa HealthCare Research & Development facility in the Research and Technology Park at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. At a groundbreaking ceremony today, Agfa announced that the building will create jobs for local professionals and help the company deliver on its commitment to bring industry leading technologies to the healthcare community that will improve the quality of patient care in Canada.

    “The University of Waterloo is pleased to welcome Agfa HealthCare to the growing roster of partners in the Research and Technology Park, as they are contributing to the economic well-being of Waterloo Region and Canada,” said David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo. “The park is a striking example of how unconventional collaborations involving academia, industry and government can help create something greater than the sum of its parts. Agfa’s new facility will generate opportunities for the area’s highly skilled workforce and help drive innovation.”

    In 2009, Agfa HealthCare received a grant from the McGuinty government for $29.6 million to support its local research & development operations, create 100 new positions and re-invest in 276 existing jobs. The new research & development centre will create an additional 40 positions and provide Agfa with the additional resources needed to support its next generation of enterprise-wide healthcare solutions. The facility will also enhance Agfa’s ability to build on industry leading initiatives, such as the Agfa HealthCare Institute.

    “By locating a cutting-edge research facility within The University of Waterloo’s Research and Technology Park, Agfa HealthCare reinforces Waterloo Region’s world-renowned reputation as a source of innovative ideas and highly-skilled talent in today’s knowledge economy,” said Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade. “Partnering with business and local research institutions helps grow the Ontario economy and create new jobs.”

    Agfa’s Waterloo office is the site of the company’s global research & development arm, producing its leading Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS), IMPAX™, and other advanced software solutions for hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide.

    “As the global hub for Agfa’s research & development operations, we’re very much looking forward to the opportunities the facility will provide – not only the local community – but the healthcare industry as a whole,” said Michael Green, Vice President North American Region, Agfa HealthCare. “The brilliant talent at the Waterloo R&D centre, the continued support from our local partners and the provincial government has allowed us to accelerate our roadmap for growth and bring progressive healthcare innovations to the next level for Canadians.”

    “This is great news for Waterloo Region – and for Ontario,” said John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener-Centre and Minister of Research and Innovation. “The shovels are in the ground today, and long term, this is an initiative that will support skilled job creation and a higher quality of life for all Ontarians.”

    Construction of the new facility by real estate developers, The Cora Group will commence in March 2010 and is scheduled to be completed in March 2011. The state-of-the-art environmentally “smart-green” building is a LEED Gold certification candidate with specialized insulation, advanced building envelope design, advanced automated HVAC and electrical systems and motion activated indirect lighting included as just some of the energy conservation features.

    About Agfa

    The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading imaging and information technology companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare) and film related products and specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa’s headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present is 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries throughout the world. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 3.401 million Euro in 2006.

    About Agfa HealthCare

    Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and image management solutions, and state-of-the-art systems for capturing, processing and printing images in hospitals and healthcare facilities. The company has over a century of experience in diagnostic imaging and has been a pioneer on the healthcare IT market since the early 1990’s. Agfa HealthCare today employs 5,700 staff members, with sales offices and representatives in over 100 markets worldwide. Sales for Agfa HealthCare in 2006 were 1,452 million Euro, accounting for 43% of total group sales. For more information on Agfa HealthCare, please visit www.agfa.com/healthcare.

    About the University of Waterloo

    In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada’s Technology Triangle, has become one of Canada’s leading comprehensive universities, running the world’s largest post-secondary program of co-operative education. At 400-acres, the University of Waterloo Research and Technology Park is one of the largest such parks in Canada and one ideally located on the campus of Canada’s most innovative university. The park grows and nurtures new technology, generates thousands of high quality jobs, and contributes to environmental excellence and well-being of the community.

    About University of Waterloo Research + Technology Park

    At 400 acres, the UW Research + Technology Park is one of the largest such parks in Canada and one ideally located on the campus of Canada’s most innovative university. The park grows and nurtures new technology, generates thousands of high quality jobs and contributes to environmental excellence and the well-being of the community. Reflecting the enterprising spirit of the Waterloo Region, it ensures continued support for pure and applied research and innovation throughout Canada. Tenants of the research park have access to Waterloo’s talent co-op students, alumni and professors as they seek to create breakthrough research discoveries. www.rtpark.uwaterloo.ca

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    Contact:

    Carol A. Stewart
    UW Research + Technology Park
    Email: castewar@uwaterloo.ca
    Phone: (519) 888-4567, ext. 36339
    www.rtpark.uwaterloo.ca

     

     

     

     

     

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