News

Ottawa, ON — Five researchers from across Canada were recognized last night for their efforts to advance innovation and transform the lives of Canadians. Their contributions range from creating a faster, less expensive method of testing for food contaminants, to fighting viral outbreaks like Zika and Congo Fever, to developing a low-cost urine test to […]

Vancouver, BC — Mitacs, a national not-for-profit research and training organization, has released a new five-year strategic plan. Target 10,000: Talent, Ideas, Networks follows an extensive engagement process with stakeholders in academia, industry, the not-for-profit sector, and government, and reflects Mitacs’ commitment to enhancing innovation in Canada. As Canada’s university-based cooperative innovation platform — an […]

In a world full of food fraud, the paprika-dusted wild salmon you ordered off the menu might not be exactly what ends up on your plate, a UBC researcher is warning. A 2013 University of Guelph study found one-third of the fish sold in grocery stores, restaurants and sushi venues is mislabeled. In the same year scandal […]

UBC PhD student Yaxi Hu won a Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation for her PhD research to detect harmful dyes in food.

Wei Zhang feels he could land a full-time job at a mid-sized university someday. But the young post-doctoral fellow says his current home at the University of Toronto’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research is likely out of his tenure-track league. “The U of T is a little bit too hard for me I […]

A UBC researcher says over 20 per cent of Vancouver residents have fallen victim to food fraud. Yaxi Hu says many food items eaten every day are packed with things that aren’t supposed to be in them. But the 24-year-old has come up with an award-winning method to combat food fraud and keep contaminants out of our […]

Yaxi Hu will accept the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation in Ottawa on Monday for her work with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to detect Sudan I, a cancer-causing food dye. She is also working on detecting domoic acid, a common toxin that affects clams and mussels. But Hu believes her method can be used to […]

Vancouver, BC — Today, during the Governor General of Canada’s state visit to Israel, an agreement was signed to create opportunities for graduate students in Canada and Israel to participate in industrial research exchanges between the two countries. The agreement is between Mitacs, a Canadian not-for-profit research and training organization, and the Israel Innovation Authority […]

Vancouver, BC — Mitacs, a Canadian not-for-profit organization that funds research and training, and Israel’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, signed a declaration aimed at the promotion of research, consultation, exchange of experiences, capacity building, and training in research projects between Canadian and Israeli universities. The letter of intent was signed by Alejandro Adem, […]

Halifax, NS – Mitacs, a national not-for-profit research and training organization, and the Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences (AARMS) have partnered to see graduate and postdoctoral researchers solve challenges using mathematical sciences in collaboration with industry and not-for-profit organizations. The partnership will provide companies in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, […]

Halifax, NS – Scientists at Memorial University and the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) are partnering with industry partner EWOS/Cargill to develop new therapeutic diets for farmed Atlantic salmon.  The initiative could lead to healthier fish and significant savings for the Canadian aquaculture industry. The $4.5 million Integrated pathogen management of co-infection in Atlantic […]

Vancouver, BC – Canadians feel the impact of global challenges like climate change, disease, and increasing competition to sell to export markets. Genomics delivers new knowledge, tools and innovations that can be used to address these challenges, fueling productivity, growth and medical breakthroughs benefitting Canadians. The Parliamentary Secretary for Science, Terry Beech, on behalf of the […]