BNN interviews Gordon Nixon, incoming chair, MaRS Discovery District; John Evans, outgoing chair, MaRS Discovery District.

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

The Premier’s Summit Award builds Ontario’s research prowess by recognizing exceptional medical researchers and helping them expand their programs. These winners are internationally recognized leaders whose work is transformative in their fields. Each winner will receive up to $5 million over a five-year period: a $2.5 million contribution from the award program matched by $2.5 million from their sponsoring institution. As the following profiles demonstrate, the Premier’s Summit Award supports researchers who have made a substantial contribution and show promise to do even more.

Dr. Benjamin Neel The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network Toronto

Dr. John Wallace McMaster University Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute Hamilton

We have an infrastructure of researchers, universities and independent research institutes such as the new Perimeter Institute in Waterloo and MaRS in Toronto that are dedicated to "pure" or basic research, and applied research that translates into world-class goods and services.

My Charity Connects is part of Net Change Week – a week long city wide event put on by Mars Discovery District designed to dissolve the divide between digital professionals and social change-makers. Information about other exciting Net Change Week events can be found at http://netchangeweek.ca

All Science Challenge - a science quiz competition for Grade 6, 7 and 8 students from over 15 schools in the greater Toronto area. Designed by students for students, it's a fun-filled day of competition and camaraderie that's part of a nationwide program to excite and inspire the next generation of scientists.

Tuesday May 19th, 2009.

Toronto ON.

THE LET'S TALK SCIENCE ALL SCIENCE CHALLENGE IN TORONTO

Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District has combined the creative genius of science and technology with the drive of entrepreneurs and capital to create a marriage that will see more Canadian ideas commercialized in this country and for those efforts it has won the Canadian Urban Institute’s 2009 Creative City Award to be granted to MaRS on June 5 at the Urban Leadership Awards in Toronto.

“MaRS has found a creative way for science and business to collaborate rather than compete and to help Canada become a knowledge-based economy. This award recognizes them as a leader in stimulating the creative capacity of the city and advancing entrepreneurship, not only in science and technology but also in social ventures. 

Located in the Discovery District of Toronto, where billions of dollars of creative capital are created every year, the MaRS Centre first opened in 2005 in two new towers that bookend a heritage building that once housed the Toronto General Hospital. The three buildings, that total 700,000 sq. ft, house labs, companies of all sizes, business advisors and investors. Its professional services include hands-on advisory services, entrepreneurial programming and both structured and electronic networking. A second building phase of the MaRS Centre will add 750,000 sq ft and is planned to open in the next few years. “The underlining reason for creating MaRS is to capture the value of Canadian discoveries and to better commercialize these innovations at home in Canada,” said MaRS CEO Ilse Treurnicht. “Hub cities like Toronto are key drivers in shaping Canada’s innovation economy. MaRS works to strengthen the pull of that hub, acting as an accelerator and building the best ideas into companies that can compete on the world stage but are anchored here,” said Treurnicht.

MaRS Centre, Toronto, Ontario: The Creative City Award for building creative capacity.

Canadian Urban Institute’s Urban Leadership Awards June 5 in Toronto.

The CUI has judged dozens of nominations from across Canada and selected 18 exceptional “city builders” who tackle everything from reducing poverty in Hamilton and homelessness in Vancouver to beautifying historic riverbanks in Quebec and showcasing children’s art on buses in Toronto.

MaRS Discovery District also received an award -- in the "Creative City" category -- for creating a space where cutting-edge research can be accomplished and turned into commercial opportunities. 

Net Change Week: June 8 -12th, 2009 Net Change is a week-long event designed to explore how social technology can bolster social change. Presented by the Social Innovation Generation team at MaRS (SiG@MaRS), Net Change Week will tap into the potential that exists when new methods of communicating, organizing and mobilizing are brought to bear on chronic social issues.

MaRS Discovery District is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael H. McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., to its Board of Directors.

Mr. McCain is looking forward to joining the MaRS Board of Directors as wel

Mr. McCain