Harnessing the Power of Canada-California R&D Collaboration to Address Climate Change, Infectious Diseases, Sustainable Energy and Other Global Issues

Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP) Announces Selection of 15 Bilateral Projects Following First Call for Proposals

Ottawa, Ontario and San Francisco, California, February 3, 2010 – The Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP), a catalyst for collaborative Research, Development and Delivery (RD&D) between two innovation-intensive jurisdictions, today announced the selection of 15 bilateral projects emerging from its first Call for Proposals (CFP). These initiatives are supported by over $1 million in new research funding, and combine expertise, research resources and investment from both constituencies. They aim to develop novel models of R&D collaboration that address global challenges such as climate change, infectious diseases such as H1N1 influenza, and the demand for sustainable energy. The new projects build on joint R&D initiatives catalyzed by CCSIP to date, including the launch of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (Canada) and its novel collaboration with the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. These organizations recently announced combined funding of $80 million to support two Canada-California teams over the next four years.

Bringing together a total of 23 Canadian universities, eight campuses of the University of California, and more than 49 companies, government labs and agencies on both sides of the border, the selected initiatives feature the organization of nine collaborative events (such as workshops and symposia) and the development of six Canada-California R&D business plans over the next year. These multidisciplinary projects engage a total of more than 150 scientific and industry leaders, including multinational corporations, small-to-medium-sized companies, hospitals and medical centres. Key areas of R&D focus include infectious diseases, global health, carbon capture and sequestration, biofuels, next-generation digital media and green information and communications technology (ICT).

Drawing on critical investment from the University of California and Canadian universities, and operational support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada) and the Ontario Centres of Excellence’s (OCE) Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR), CCSIP initiatives will leverage complementary strengths that are unique to Canada and California, address shared priorities and emphasize delivery to market. With stewardship from the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) and ISTPCanada, the Call garnered 108 Letters of Intent in February 2009, and 45 complete applications in May 2009. It is the first model of global R&D collaboration of its kind to be employed by the University of California and many Canadian universities, bringing together academia, industry and government.

"Today’s partnership announcement will help move ideas from the laboratory to the real world and will contribute to a cleaner environment and improved healthcare," said the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade. "Our joint projects will lead to advances in many fields, from carbon storage and new biofuels to energy efficient computers and better border crossings."

"This collaborative partnership is great news for both California and Canada. These projects will help speed up progress in many leading areas important to both California and Canada including climate change, renewable energy, infectious diseases and stem cell research," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "CCSIP will bring together some of the best researchers and innovators to find solutions that will both protect our environment and grow our economy."

"The response to this CFP exceeded all expectations and represents a critical step towards the realization of CCSIP`s overall objectives," said Dr. Henri Rothschild, President and CEO of ISTPCanada. "It reinforces the potential to leverage the CCSIP model as a template for defining a comprehensive Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation platform between these jurisdictions, as well as other innovation partners across the United States and internationally."

"These innovative projects, and CCSIP more broadly, provide a strategic platform for R&D leaders to work together on many of the global sustainability challenges facing decision-makers in California, Canada and around the world," said Professor Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University. "We have great confidence that our increasing collaboration in priority areas will yield promising results and deliver economic and social benefits to citizens in both jurisdictions. We at McGill are proud to work together with the University of California and universities across Canada to contribute to these promising initiatives."

"CCSIP offers a valuable framework for international research cooperation, beginning with a strong innovation partner—Canada," said Mr. Mark Yudof, President of the University of California. "By pooling complementary expertise and resources from eight UC campuses, 23 Canadian universities, and dozens of companies and labs, we are increasing our collective R&D capacity. In these challenging times, cooperation is essential to broaden the impact of our research, and accelerate innovation that stimulates economic growth in California and Canada."

In addition to investment from the University of California and 23 Canadian universities, the Ontario Centres of Excellence’s (OCE) Centre for Commercialization of Research, ISTPCanada and the Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation (CIIRDF) are contributing funds and in-kind support to the 15 CCSIP projects.

"The Ontario Centres of Excellence’s Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR), an initiative supported by the Government of Canada through the Networks of Centres of Excellence, is pleased to contribute to this inaugural Canada-California project portfolio," said Dr. Mario Thomas, OCE’s Managing Director, CCR. "These initiatives directly align with CCR’s objectives as they aim to develop novel commercialization models that increase the potential of new technologies and services."

About CCSIP

The Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP) is a catalyst for collaborative Research, Development and Delivery (RD&D) between two innovation-intensive jurisdictions: California, one of the most dynamic innovation engines on earth; and Canada, a leading country in university research intensity.

Far greater than the sum of its parts, CCSIP is a bilateral collaboration initiative that aims to capitalize on the complementary strengths of Canada and California, and to build on a well-established trade relationship valued at over US$35 billion in 2008. With leadership from a highly respected bilateral Steering Committee, and participation from universities, companies and governments on both sides of the border, CCSIP stimulates the:

• Development of new models of collaboration between Canada and California that leverage key research capabilities, address common priorities, and accelerate the delivery of research results; and
• Launch of revolutionary RD&D projects that aim to bring new products and services to market, and deliver economic and social benefits to citizens in both jurisdictions

Additional information is available at: www.ccsip.org.

About the CCSIP Call for Proposals (CFP)

The inaugural CCSIP CFP aimed to stimulate novel approaches to cooperation, and catalyze the development of innovative multi–campus and multi–disciplinary research and educational collaborations between Canada and California. Such approaches include the establishment of bilateral R&D consortia, the structuring of Canada-California Centres of Excellence, and the creation of new working relations between university systems, in addition to other collaborations. With funding from the University of California and Canadian universities, financial support was available for two types of bilateral initiatives:

• The conduct of focused round tables, workshops and/or symposia that lead to novel methods or approaches for research collaboration; and
• The development and delivery of detailed R&D business plans for early-stage bilateral initiatives that help to propel the concept to the next stage of development (following the conduct of workshops and associated research).

For additional information about the CCSIP CFP, please visit: http://www.ccsip.org/programs.html

About International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada)

ISTPCanada develops and implements R&D collaboration programs under Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation agreements between Canada and its key trading partners, including India, China, Brazil and Israel. Mandated by the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, ISTPCanada facilitates the development of new R&D partnerships between Canadian companies, research organizations and their counterparts in other countries; invests in cooperative research projects with high commercial potential; and stimulates early-stage partnership development activity. In doing so, ISTPCanada develops new models of bilateral and multilateral collaboration that enhance Canada’s competitiveness through the increased use of research-based international alliances, and helps to strengthen Canada’s overall S&T, economic, trade and political relations with other nations. For additional information, please visit: www.istpcanada.ca.

About the University of California

The University of California is the largest system for higher education in the United States. Recognized worldwide for its academic distinction, it includes more than 220,000 students, 170,000 faculty and staff, and an $18 billion annual budget at its 10 campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara. The university offers programs in more than 150 disciplines, many of which are ranked among the top 10 nationally, and for the last 12 years has generated more patents than any other university in the nation. UC's five medical centers support the clinical teaching programs of the university's medical and health sciences schools and handle more than three million patient visits each year. The UC system also is involved in managing the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories at Berkeley, Livermore and Los Alamos. Additional information is available at: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/

Canadian Universities Participating in CCSIP Projects

• Acadia University
• Université de Montréal
• Concordia University
• University of New Brunswick
• École de technologie supérieure (ETS)
• University of Ottawa
• École polytechnique de Montréal
• Université du Québec à Montréal
• McGill University
• University of Saskatchewan
• McMaster University
• Université de Sherbrooke
• Queen’s University
• University of Toronto
• University of Alberta
• University of Waterloo
• University of British Columbia
• University of Western Ontario
• University of Guelph
• University of Victoria
• Université Laval
• York University
• University of Manitoba

About the Ontario Centres of Excellence’s Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR)

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario’s global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. OCE’s Centres work in communications and information technology, earth and environmental technologies, energy, materials and manufacturing and photonics. OCE is funded by the government of Ontario and is a key partner in delivering Ontario’s Innovation Agenda.

OCE through its Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR), an initiative supported by the federally funded Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada, also acts as a catalyst which allows innovative businesses to grow and achieve sustainable, commercial success and global competitiveness. CCR complements and extends OCE's existing research, talent and commercialization programs to cover the innovation continuum from initial research idea to market success. For additional information, please visit: www.oce-ontario.org/ccr

Media inquiries:
Sonya Shorey, Senior Communications Strategist
Cell: 613.851.9416
sonyashorey@istpcanada.ca