The Short Report, September 18, 2019: Transdisciplinary research, digital verification, carbon capture

The University of Lethbridge officially opened its $280-million, 38,500-sq.-m. Science Commons. The facility aims to foster transdisciplinary research by congregating multiple science departments under one roof and by providing opportunities for collaboration. - University of Lethbridge

Vancouver fintech startup Trulioo raised C$70 million from institutional investors. Trulioo will use the funding to scale its operations in new markets. The company offers identity verification to five billion consumers worldwide, as well as more than 250 million businesses in over 195 countries. - BetaKit

The University of Calgary’s Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking received federal funding through the Research Support Fund’s Incremental Project Grant to create an entrepreneurship program and pitch competition for women in STEM. Called WELab, the program will provide entrepreneurial mentorship and training to any female-identifying students, staff, and faculty interested in building or growing a business, social enterprise or side hustle. - University of Calgary

The OECD has released a paper titled "How are digital technologies changing innovation? Evidence from agriculture, the automotive industry and retail." The paper examines sector-specific dynamics that differentiate the opportunities created by digital technologies, and calls for a sectoral approach to designing innovation policies. - OECD

Quebec's Institut national de la recherche scientifique has embarked on a Canada-wide research project to fight greenhouse gas emissions by trapping carbon dioxide (CO₂) in mining waste, led by Louis-César Pasquier. Led by the University of British Columbia (UBC) and joined by the University of Alberta and Trent University, who have together invested $1.2 million in the project, along with $2 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and another $1.2 million from industry, the project's researchers are partnering with three large mining companies to conduct field trials and further investigate the potential of mineral carbonation for carbon capture. - INRS

New federal rules on methane measurement, scheduled to come into effect in January 2020, have already spurred innovation in technology and equipment related to measuring methane emissions, the CBC reports. Both large and small oil and gas companies are investing in equipment to monitor methane leaks. - CBC

New Democrat Party leader Jagmeet Singh promised to create new incentives for the auto industry, if elected. Singh said he would revive a $300-million innovation strategy to support the development of zero-emission vehicles, on the condition that manufacturers and suppliers invest in keeping jobs on Canadian soil. - National Post

THE GRAPEVINE

The University of Toronto is seeking a director of institutional research and data governance. The successful candidate's role will be to develop and maintain a coordinated approach to data-driven decision making by working closely with the university’s senior administration across its three campuses. The director will advise on a business intelligence roadmap to leverage data assets, facilitate the development of analytical capacity across the institution, and foster inter-divisional collaboration on data projects, according to the posting. - University of Toronto

Energy storage company VanadiumCorp named Dr. Gilles Y. Champagne its chief technology officer. Previously the VP of engineering and development at Imergy Power Systems  in Silicon Valley, Champagne has held executive positions in various cleantech companies in Canada, the US and Europe. - Newswire

New University of Windsor president Robert Gordon responded to the provincial government's  new performance-based funding model in an introductory address to staff, faculty and students. He told the assembled audience that difficult decisions will be made as a result of the impending financial challenges. Gordon said that workforce readiness is one of his early priorities and stated that the university is looking for ways improve learning opportunities outside the classroom. - Windsor Star

The Royal Society of Canada announced 10 medals and four awards to be bestowed on 14 Canadian scientists, scholars and researchers at the Awards Ceremony at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa on Friday, November 22, 2019. - Royal Society of Canada