New SIF competition open for data projects in health, biosciences

Stream 4 of the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) was launched on June 28 for projects that will tie in data with health and biosciences. The new competition is open until August 31 and aims to attract two types of groups – consortia led by large businesses and networks led by non-profit (NP) organizations that will distribute funds to research partners in the network. Both collaborative groups should include partners in academia, research and industry, and demonstrate how they will work with partners in other regions. The consortia should have a large Canadian company doing large-scale R&D as lead but should also include small- and mid-sized companies aside from other consortia partners. Consortium-led projects are expected to leverage private sector investments. The networks should demonstrate how they can support commercialization and mobilization of new transformative technology platforms. The $1.26-billion SIF was first announced in Budget 2017 but was modified in late February 2018 to focus on larger projects worth over $10 million. Stream 4 is for industrial R&D projects that support collaboration between industry, research institutes and not-for-profits. Those who qualify in the initial screening after submitting a Statement of Interest are expected to submit full applications by Fall 2018, and the announcement of successful applicants is expected by March 2019.