Two teams from University of Manitoba's Max Rady College of Medicine have received funding for one year from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to study under-researched aspects of Covid-19. The first study, under the direction of Dr. Alan Katz, has received over $200,000 to study aspects of "long-haul COVID," including defining risk factors, determining who is more likely to get long COVID, and describing the long-term effects. The second study, under the direction of Dr. Ruey-Chyi Su, received $430,000 to examine how the binding of the spike proteins of coronavirus variants to the host-cell receptor known as ACE2 affects viral spread and mortality rates. – UManitoba

Meanwhile, a $1.5-million grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada earmarked for McMaster University's Platelet Immunology Laboratory (MPIL) will support studies on vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). – McMaster

OTHER FUNDING NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

Projects selected by Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) for its Shovel-Ready Challenge program will share $176 million to accelerate economic recovery and support environmental sustainability. The bulk of the stimulus funding ($126 million) is being sourced from the carbon price paid by large emitters in Alberta through the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund while the remaining $50 million will come from the federal Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund (LCELF). The 16 projects represent a total investment of more than $2 billion in public and private funding. Among the pilots and demos chosen are ConocoPhillips Canada's Surmont Steam-Additives Pilot (project value: $28,200,000); Canadian Natural Resources Limited's In-pit Extraction Process Demonstration (project value: $99,700,000) and Suncor Energy's Inc. Suncor PURE Demonstration Facility (project value: $52,500,000). – ERA Alberta

The Government of Ontario is investing $48 million over two years to advance research, innovation and talent in several Ontario research institutes and universities. The funding includes $24 million over two years for the Perimeter Institute (Waterloo); $12 million over two years for Advanced Research Computing (ARC) facilities at research institutes in Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Oshawa, St. Catharines, Toronto, Waterloo and Windsor; and $12 million over two years for the SNOLAB (Sudbury). – Ontario Government

GRAPEVINE

Dr. Dan Breznitz has been appointed Clifford Clark Visiting Economist for the 2021/22 academic year at the federal Department of Finance. Breznitz is a fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research where he co-directs the program on Innovation, Equity and the Future of Prosperity, and holds the Munk Chair of Innovation Studies and is the co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. – Munk School

Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne joined representatives from 18 Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) member countries and the European Union for the second annual plenary of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) in Paris, France, last week. GPAI was launched in June 2020 under a Canada-France partnership and aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities. Champagne highlighted the GPAI's progress in its first year under Canada’s chairmanship and passed the torch to France, which is taking over as GPAI Council Chair for 2021-22. – GoC 

Montreal-based BrainBox AI has been announced the winner of the Tech For Our Planet program challenge at COP26 following president Sam Ramadori's presentation on BrainBox's AI-enabled technology for reducing building emissions. The challenge was a partnership program run by UK-based government technology company PUBLIC and the UK Cabinet Office to showcase startup digital solutions for global climate efforts. BrainBox AI was one of ten companies selected to present at COP26’s Tech For Our Planet program. – LinkedIn

Conservative Party of Canada and Opposition Leader Erin O'Toole has announced his Shadow Cabinet. Science, technology and innovation appointments include: Hon. Ed Fast (Innovation, Science & Industry), Luc Berthold (Health), Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner (Natural Resources), Rick Perkins (Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard) and John Barlow (Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Security). – CPC

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