It is wonderful to have this affirmation of the importance of NeuroDevNet's work in improving quality of life for children with neurodisabilities and their families. For the one out of six children affected by a condition such as autism, cerebral palsy, or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder – and those who care for them – the future looks brighter. Five years of additional funding will enable NeuroDevNet to move many initiatives from our first years as an NCE to bring about new policies and practices that benefit children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Our partners and stakeholders will be crucial to this exciting process.
Dan Goldowitz, Scientific Director, NeuroDevNet
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Contacts
Scott French
Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs
Office of the Minister of State (Science and Technology)
343-291-2700
Martin Leroux
Media and Public Affairs Officer
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
613-943-7618
Backgrounder
Announcement of NCE competition results
Since its creation in 1989, the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program has successfully brought together the best minds in many disciplines and sectors in efforts to solve major social, economic or health issues for Canadians.
The program supports large-scale, collaborative research networks that harness the creativity and inventiveness of Canadian health, natural, and social scientists and engineers. Funded networks integrate expertise from academia, industry, government and not-for-profit organizations in a shared effort to generate and implement solutions to problems. In 2013-14, partner organizations of the networks added $63.4 million of cash and in kind support to the funding from the NCE. International acclaim has led other countries, including Australia, South Africa and some within the European Union, to incorporate the NCE model into their programs.
The NCE program currently supports 14 research networks.
Today's announcements of the Canadian Arrythmia Network in London and the Biotherapeutics for Cancer Treament network in Ottawa comprise two of four new NCEs being awarded funding as a result of this competition. One existing network was also renewed.
New Networks
Canadian Arrhythmia Network – CANet
Headquarters: London, Ontario
The Canadian Arrhythmia Network (CANet) brings together clinicians, engineers, patients, industry and government in an effort to reduce premature deaths and suffering caused by heart rhythm disturbances. CANet's approach will be to put the right tools into the right hands at the right time: tools that will empower people to manage their own health, caregivers to improve patient care, and the healthcare system to provide timely, effective and efficient services to the population. This approach will be used to tackle disturbances such as sudden cardiac death, which is currently the leading cause of death in Canada, killing 40,000 yearly. Through early detection and intervention, the network seeks to transform arrhythmia care practices in Canada. CANet includes collaboration from the following partners:
Academic
- Host Institution: Western University
- Carleton University
- Dalhousie University
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Prairie Vascular Research Network
- Southlake Regional Health Centre
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Université Laval
- University of British Columbia
- University of Manitoba
- University of Ottawa Heart Institute, University of Ottawa
- University of Victoria
Industry
- Analytics for Life
- Baylis Medical Company Inc.
- Biosense Webster Canada, Johnson & Johnson
- Biotronik Canada Inc.
- Boston Scientific Canada
- Colibri Technologies Inc.
- PHEMI
- IBM Canada Limited
- Medtronic of Canada Inc.
- Siemens Canada Limited
- St. Jude Medical Canada Inc.
Provincial
- Alberta Health Services
- Cardiac Services British Columbia
- Cardiovascular Health Nova Scotia
- Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors
- Quebec, Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux
- Saskatchewan, Ministry of Health
Other
- Canadian Cardiovascular Society
- Canadian Hearth Rhythm Society
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
- Mitacs Inc.
Biotherapeutics for Cancer Treatment – BioCanRx ($25 million)
Headquarters: Ottawa, Ontario
Biologically-based treatments such as cancer-killing viruses, immune cell therapies and synthetic antibodies are among the most promising cancer treatments to emerge in the past decade. They offer targeted, effective options that help mobilize the body's natural defences, with the added benefit of being less toxic and invasive. BioCanRx will help accelerate the most promising discoveries from the lab through to proof-of-concept, manufacturing and clinical testing. Expected results also include training highly skilled people and steering new Canadian biotherapeutic products towards commercialization. By incorporating patient outreach into the research program, the network will help spread knowledge to end users and receive critical feedback about cancer treatment. With partners positioned throughout the development continuum, BioCanRx seeks to make Canada more competitive in biotherapeutics and reduce the human and financial cost of cancer.
BioCanRx includes the collaboration from the following partners:
Academic
- Host Institution: The Ottawa Hospital / Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- McMaster/Fraunhofer Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing – BEAM
- University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine
Industry
- Boehringer-Ingelheim
- Genentech
- Jennerex [now Sillajen]
- MarabaCo [now Turnstone]
- Sanofi-Pasteur
- SciGenom
- Takara Bio
- Versant Ventures
Provincial
- Alberta Innovates
- BC Cancer Agency
- Genome BC
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Other
- Cancer Research Society
- Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada
- Cure: Blood Cancer
- Hair Donation Ottawa
- Leukemia Lymphoma Society of Canada
- Lymphoma Canada
- National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation
- Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation
- Ovarian Cancer Society
- Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation
- Terry Fox Research Institute
