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MaRS is particularly honoured to be the administrator of the Premier’s Summit Award for Medical Research, one of the largest research prizes in Canada, and recognizing truly exceptional world leading accomplishments. Every Canadian should be proud that these pioneering science leaders live and work in Ontario.

The Board of Directors of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) has appointed Dr. Calvin Stiller as the Chair of the Board.

He succeeds Dr. John Evans, who was the first Chair and who will continue to serve as a board member.

Dr. Stiller co-founded the MaRS Centre in Toronto

MaRS Innovation is honoured to announce its permanent Board of Directors, who brings together a remarkable and broad set of experiences and networks to support the development of this dynamic partnership of Toronto research institutions.  Designed to enhance the commercial output of Toronto’s world-leading research cluster, MaRS Innovation is positioned to make a significant contribution to Canada’s innovation economy and the quality of life for Canadians and others around the world.

upported by the Government of Canada through the Centres of Excellence in Research and Commercialization (CECR) program, and its member institutions, MaRS Innovation is focused on converting important discoveries into a new generation of products, services and high value jobs. The newly appointed Board of Directors, which includes academic and business leaders from across Canada and the United States, has the targeted expertise to guide MaRS Innovation to deliver on this critical mission.   MaRS Innovation represents a unique collaborative model, which aggregates the exceptional discovery pipeline of 14 leading Toronto academic institutions to build a diversified portfolio of assets, and harness the economic and job creation potential of the best opportunities for Toronto, Ontario and Canada.

“MaRS Innovation is privileged to announce a Board of Directors of this caliber and breadth of skill,” said Mary Jo Haddad, Chair of the MaRS Innovation Board and President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children. “The collective experience and guidance of these individuals will be critical to developing a collaborative, integrated and agile approach to this transformational organization that will move Canada into its next phase of economic development.”

"This investment underscores the government's recognition that Ontario must continue to invest in its strong life sciences cluster. Now more than ever, innovative research and development is a key driver, reshaping the knowledge economy and creating prosperity for all Ontarians." Dr. John Evans, Chair, MaRS Discovery District

Canada has the research expertise to develop drugs and vaccines to address pressing medical needs, but delivering on the promise will require new models of collaboration between scientists, biotechnology, the pharmaceutical industry, business and policy makers according to speakers at an upcoming symposium hosted by The Gairdner Foundation and York University. The symposium, Entrepreneurship & Commercialization in Biomedical Science, on Thursday, May 14, marks the 50th anniversary of both York University and The Gairdner Foundation.

The Gairdner Foundation recognizes the world's leading medical research scientists through its prestigious annual awards program for biomedical science. The symposium, which is hosted by York’s Faculty of Science & Engineering and Schulich School of Business, will bring together scientist entrepreneurs, Canadian venture capital firms, the biomedical industry and policy-makers.

He will be followed by Smith, founder and former president & CEO of RBC Ventures and a member of the board of Toronto's MaRS innovation centre. Smith will speak about how Canada has made strong progress in positioning itself as a potential leader in biotech and medical research and in its commercialization efforts but faces two clear threats – the global financial calamity together with the lack of clear federal government support for research.

For Dr. John Evans, growing a strong biotechnology industry is much the same: cities must provide a nurturing environment where science and business can thrive together.

That's why Evans, former president of the University of Toronto and current chairman of Torstar Corp., is spearheading the $345-million Medical and Related Science initiative, or MaRS--a petri dish of sorts for commercializing science research. "A lot of intellectual property is being commercialized outside Canada," says Evans. "I think we've been slow in realizing just how important technology developments are to the economic future of the country. MaRS is an attempt to give this a kick into a higher gear." The centrepiece of the MaRS plan, which will officially launch May 12, is a 1.3-million-square-foot, five-building complex in downtown Toronto that will provide office and lab space for small and medium-size companies and incubators, including the not-for-profit Toronto Biotechnology Commercialization Centre. While Evans is reluctant to limit its scope, MaRS will generally focus on health-related technologies, from new drugs and genetic treatments to medical devices and imaging software. Branded a "convergence centre," it will also house a careful mix of support services: intellectual property lawyers, accountants, marketing experts, government funding organizations and venture capital financiers. Plus, start-ups will have access to all the latest equipment on site. For instance, MaRS is in talks with MDS Sciex to supply mass spectrometers, used in proteomics research.

But MaRS will be more than just a New Economy real estate development. Evans's intention is to funnel tenants' rent money into services--such as entrepreneurship seminars and angel-matching programs--that MaRS will offer to the broader biotech community. That's why MaRS's location is key: the centre will be built in the heart of what Toronto has dubbed the "Discovery District," a two-square-kilometre chunk of the downtown core, encompassing U of T and four major hospitals. From there, MaRS hopes to act as a network hub across Ontario, with links to research-intensive universities. "None of them," says Evans, "have the critical mass to put it all together on their own."

commercialize our vast services potential

in university social sciences, humanities, art and design

Strengthen our areas of traditional comparative advantage: agriculture, forestry, mining, mineral processing, energy production

McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine - home to one of the world's largest concentrations of stem cell researchers - the 2009 Golf Town Invitational will raise funds for its groundbreaking research toward the treatment and cure of diabetes.

Based in the heart of Toronto's Discovery District at the MaRS Centre/Toronto Medical Discovery Tower, the McEwen Centre's vision is to be a world-renowned facility for stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. It is home to one of the world's largest concentrations of stem cell researchers, who are working to accelerate the development of more effective treatments for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and spinal cord injury.

The event is limited to 20 foursomes and more information is available at www.golftown.com/gti.

Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson is guest of honour as Ontario's research and education advanced technology community gathers to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the world-leading Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION)

MaRS Collaboration Centre - Auditorium 101 College Street, Toronto

It is clear humans will live much longer in the future, Worzel says. And innovative agricultural products, like those being developed by University of Guelph research scientists, will play a vital role in maintaining the health of this future population of senior citizens.

Worzel was a keynote speaker at last week's Agri-Food Innovation Forum in Toronto, which brought leading scientists, medical professionals, government and industry officials together to explore the future of so-called functional foods and nutraceuticals -- foods or food extracts that have physiological benefits or reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Guelph scientists are among the world leaders in the field, with a host of University of Guelph researchers advancing the science, and a number of local enterprises -- Soy 20/20, BioEnterprise, Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, and MaRS Landing -- working to commercialize that science.