May / June 2005
Summit looks at trends in research - focus on collaboration and commercialization
President of CFI anticipated keynote
As scientists, researchers, government and industry representatives gather for the second Annual Ontario R&E Summit in Toronto today, the transformation of the research landscape will be the focus of discussions.
As scientists, researchers, government and industry representatives gather for the second Annual Ontario R&E Summit in Toronto today, the transformation of the research landscape will be the focus of discussions.
One of the Summit's most anticipated speakers is the June 13 keynote, Dr. Eliot Phillipson, President of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the agency that injects millions of dollars each year in critical research infrastructure and activities across the country.
"Our participants are really interested in what Dr. Philipson has to say and his insights on the context of CFI's support and commitment to research," says ORION President/CEO Phil Baker.
"We're hoping that sessions and panel discussions will really zero in on the wonderful possibilities that the new e-research infrastructure, knit together by advanced research networks, will bring to research and our ability to drive innovation and achieve new scientific discoveries," he said.
Summit sessions range from presentations on commercialization of research, academic-industry research partnerships, high performance and distributed computing, and innovative applications and technologies such as sensor grids, data mining, and advanced visualisation.
The growing contribution of colleges of applied arts and technology to Ontario's research landscape will also be highlighted.
A key theme to be explored is the growing coordinated effort among governments, education and industry to align strategies and resources to accelerate commercialization of research activities and innovation.
Ontario's Assistant Deputy Minister of Research and Commercialisation, Dr. Tim McTiernan leads a Roundtable discussion on future directions in research.
The panel, which includes Jack Smith of the Office of the National Science Advisor and the University of Toronto's Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr. Pekka K. Sinervo, has been convened to discuss the "e-research" infrastructure and tools researchers will require to conduct their research over the next decade. Dr. Art McDonald, Director of Sudbury Neutrino Observatory at Queen's University and Dr. Nils Petersen, Director General, National Institute for Nanotechnology will also participate in the Roundtable.
This is the second Ontario R&E Summit, an event ORION and its partners are hoping to establish as the definitive gathering of research and education leaders and practitioners in the province.
The Summit already has the support of a large number of sponsors and partners, led by the Platinum Sponsor, Bell Canada.
Also supporting the Summit are Gold Sponsors CANARIE, TELUS and the Government Ontario, while Cisco Systems Canada, IBM Canada, Nortel Networks and SHARCNET are Bronze Sponsors, and Cogent Communications, MaRS Discovery District and UNIS LUMIN are Champion Sponsors.
Several research and regional organizations are participating as Summit partners, including the Council of Ontario Universities' Council on University Research (OCUR), the Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario (ACAATO), and all of Ontario's regional networks.
Back to Headlines
|
|
