��“91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit is continuing to make an impact by supporting transformative research through knowledge translation,” said Robert Haché (left), 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “We are proud of the important work 91��ɫ’s leading KMb Unit is providing to NeuroDevNet, and warmly welcome the new members of the knowledge translation team.”

“For seven years, 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit has been providing professional knowledge mobilization services to 91��ɫ's researchers, students and their partners to maximize the economic, social and environmental impacts of research," said David Phipps (right), executive director, research & information services at 91��ɫ. "I am delighted to be the knowledge translation lead for NeuroDevNet and provide services to accelerate the impact of their research and training programs on the lives of children and families living with neurodevelopmental disorders."��

Anneliese Poetz, NeuroDevNet��knowledge translation manager, and Matt Calverley,��knowledge translation coordinator, are being hosted in 91��ɫ's KMb Unit, in suite 201, Kaneff Tower, as of this month.

“This is an exciting development for NeuroDevNet,” says Dan Goldowitz, the organization's scientific director. “With NeuroDevNet moving strongly towards a translational phase, we are going to have many great stories to tell and then move toward important outcomes. The expertise present at 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and our new KT lead, David Phipps, is hugely welcome and the network members are enthusiastically looking towards engagement with his team.”

NeuroDevNet is in its fourth year as an NCE, and has drawn together world-class researchers and clinicians across the country with expertise in three initial areas of focus, in autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy.��Translation of research into practice and commercial ventures, as well as engagement with policy makers, are key elements of the NCE mission.��Knowledge translation is a central pillar of the NeuroDevNet initiative, funded for an initial period of five years by the NCE and Industry Canada through the Tri-Councils.

One in six Canadian children is affected by a brain-based developmental disorder. “NeuroDevNet exists to help these children and their families overcome the challenges that stem from neurodevelopmental conditions,” adds Goldowitz. “NeuroDevNet’s research is making important strides towards that objective. I am confident our new KT team will help ensure our findings reach stakeholders who share our commitment and can put that knowledge into action.”

For more information, visit the website.

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IP Osgoode, Osgoode Hall Law School’s Intellectual Property��& Technology Law Program, and OCE, a not-for-profit corporation that drives the commercialization of Ontario academic research, recently signed a memorandum of understanding to solidify the program.

Above: From left, Trish Barrow (director of Commercialization & CCR, Ontario Centres of Excellence), Osgoode students Shirley Bai, Rita Gao, Sebastian Talluri, Andrea Dias, Hashim Ghazi and Professor Giuseppina D'Agostino (founder & director, IP Osgoode).��Missing from the photo is student Jeremy Loeb.

“Intellectual property law is a key component in Ontario’s and Canada’s innovation agendas,” said Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research and innovation. “The IP Osgoode/OCE project reflects our expanding research partnerships with industry and community partners and will further stimulate knowledge transfer between academia, government and industry groups pursuing innovative agendas.”

The IP Osgoode/OCE project will be launched as a 12-month pilot program with approximately six Osgoode students assisting OCE-supported companies with numerous IP matters – from patents to trademarks to copyright. The program will provide students with a combination of IP law theory and practical experience, while OCE is better able to support promising new companies, including helping them reduce start-up costs.

“This is a groundbreaking initiative for a law school to have a formal collaboration with a proven innovation driver such as OCE, at this level,” said Osgoode Professor , founder and director of IP Osgoode.

httpv://youtu.be/TZfuDwMVi3M

“These companies are at the early growth stage,” D’Agostino said. “They need help from a very early point without having legal fees and various other costs choke them before they can get up and running. Having our IP students involved with these OCE-supported start-ups while��at the law school will minimize the companies’ IP costs because our students will be working pro bono.”

Initially, the students will explore general areas of IP, with a special focus on patent law. The students will then be engaged in a variety of IP activities such as reviewing IP licensing transactions, performing prior art searches, reviewing patent specifications, performing freedom-to-operate and clearance searches, assisting with the preparation and filing of provisional patent applications, and conducting legal research.

To better enable the students, OCE’s CCR will provide $30,000 for the project’s operating budget.��OCE will work with IP Osgoode and��a clinical supervisor to select the most suitable OCE-supported companies, based on the skills and knowledge of the participating students, the scope of potential projects that may come from a particular company, and other factors that are consistent with the program’s overall goals.

“OCE’s Centre for Commercialization of Research is delighted to be working with IP Osgoode on this initiative,” said Tom Corr, OCE president & CEO. “Starting with a solid IP strategy is essential to the successful commercialization of leading-edge discoveries. The companies we work with have limited resources, but tremendous potential. This partnership with IP Osgoode will solve problems at a crucial time for start-up companies that are poised to create jobs and strengthen Ontario’s economy.”

“For many high-potential start-ups, their IP is their most precious commodity,” said Mario Thomas, senior vice-president, Ontario Centres of Excellence, and��managing director, Centre��for Commercialization of Research. “IP protection is vital for technology companies to get their products to market, so the value of this legal expertise and guidance provided by IP Osgoode cannot be stressed enough.”

Osgoode Dean also applauded the partnership, describing the IP Osgoode/OCE project as “a robust collaboration that will extend the classroom into the realm of real-world IP issues and benefit both Osgoode IP students and the start-up companies.”

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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“91��ɫ has become one of Canada’s fastest-growing centres for research and innovation,” said Stan Shapson (right), vice-president research & innovation at 91��ɫ. “We typically get 10 to 20 discovery disclosures a year. Joining MaRS Innovation allows us to deliver the most competitive commercialization services to the researchers making these discoveries. We’re confident that membership in MaRS Innovation will boost that number and accelerate the commercialization of 91��ɫ’s most promising research.”

Earlier this year, 91��ɫ launched its office. Based in 91��ɫ Region, Innovation 91��ɫ works with other partner organizations in the Markham Convergence Centre to build upon research partnerships between 91��ɫ researchers and life science and technology companies based in 91��ɫ Region and the Greater Toronto Area. It’s also making 91��ɫ’s research and infrastructure more accessible to industry, government agencies and community partners.

Joining MaRS Innovation will further extend 91��ɫ’s commercialization contacts. In less than two years, MaRS Innovation has assessed��more than��400 research disclosures from members such as the University of Toronto and its 10 affiliated teaching hospitals, as well as Ryerson University.

MaRS Innovation has begun to line up investment funding to take the discoveries with the greatest commercial potential to market, creating companies and jobs, and starting industries. In 2011 alone, MaRS Innovation has spurred the creation of five new enterprises based on the groundbreaking discoveries of its members.

“We’re thrilled that 91��ɫ has decided to become one of our members." said��Rafi Hofstein, president��& CEO of MaRS Innovation. "91��ɫ’s national and international reputation for groundbreaking discoveries is growing quickly, and many of their research initiatives are highly complementary to the technologies that we’ve been helping to commercialize over the past two years.”

To become a member of MaRS Innovation, an academic and research organization must have intellectual property in life sciences (drug discovery, medical devices, diagnostic imaging, etc.), information and communications technologies (ICT), cleantech and digital media.

MaRS Innovation is supported by the Government of Canada through the (NCE) to focus on turning inventions into real commercial opportunities. Both the Province of Ontario’s (MRI) and Ottawa have provided essential financial support for Proof of Principle programs��– NCE, through the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, funded the turning of inventions into real commercial opportunities; and MRI, through Ontario Centres of Excellence, has been supporting MaRS Innovation’s Proof of Principle (PoP) program.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of MaRS Innovation Public Relations department and Media Relations at 91��ɫ University.

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Seven teams of students from the capstone senior design project course displayed their work in the lobby of the Science & Engineering Building for the sixth consecutive year.

Right: The first place team of Sriyan Wisnarama (left), Shahroukh Sotodeh and Gowry Sinnathamby, with��an unmanned remote controlled plane with their��stabilization system

Prizes of $500, $300 and $200 were given to the first, second and third��ranked team project, donated by . The project involves the design of complex engineering solutions to a real world problem.

Left: Second place winners, from left, Niken Goswami, Stephen Low, Chris Carmichael and Yan Ying Fang. Insert: Stephen Low showing the e-Glove to the judges.

The whole point of it is to come up with a marriage between the idea and the practical outcome, said one of the judges, Michael Sasarman (MBA ’05), director, strategic partnering and sourcing at Ericsson Inc.

“This is very good. It’s better than previous years,” said��capstone project course instructor��Professor George Zhu, director of the Space Engineering Undergraduate Program and the Space Engineering Design Laboratory. “There is more wireless technology on display this time.”

The project involves specifying the requirements of a suitable solution, selecting and designing a solution, implementing the design, and then testing, evaluating and documenting the chosen solution.

Right: From left, students Thaslim Ghani, Sowmiya Rajagopalan and Tamara Tanurdzic, with their smartphone remote controlled vehicle, which placed third in the competition

The group of students who took first place for their project had a remote controlled plane on display with an installed stabilization system. The Design and Implementation of a Stabilization System for a Remote Controlled Fixed-Wing Model (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) project would help prevent the plane from crashing out of control.

“Whatever orientation the plane has when the stabilization button is hit, it will return to level fight,” said student Gowry Sinnathamby. He was joined by his teammates Sriyan Wisnarama and Shahroukh Sotodeh.

In second place was the Sync Engineering Entertainment Glove with students Stephen Low, Yan Ying Fang, Niken Goswami and Chris Carmichael. The intent behind the e-Glove was to design a remotely controlled single system that is able to universally control functions across a range of electronic devices. That means there would be one device instead of several. The e-Glove would use universal infrared technology with finger gestures, rather than buttons, to control and switch between items such as televisions, stereo systems and clock radios.

Above:��From left, Professor George Zhu and Sunil Chavda, director of corporate development for Com Dev International, pose with first-place winners Shahroukh Sotodeh, Sriyan Wisnarama and Gowry Sinnathamby, along with Professor Richard Hornsey, associate dean of science &��engineering.

The project that won third – Smartphone Control of an Unmanned Robotic Vehicle – was designed by students Thaslim Ghani, Sowmiya Rajagopalan and Tamara Tanurdzic. The team took remote control technology to a smartphone. Phone rotation would control direction and speed depending on the angle or tilt of the phone, said Ghani. Through a GPS system, the vehicle could also be tracked. The students had mounted a laptop to the top of a small vehicle so the user can see either on their smartphone, or from another laptop, exactly what the camera on the mounted laptop is seeing.

Right: From left, Dan Reynolds, Calvin Midwinter, Patrick Irvin and Bay Ming Jian with the mock-up of their satellite

The practical advantages of this technology, says Ghani, is it can go where a human can’t, such as inside the damaged nuclear plant in Japan or perhaps Mars.

Some of the other projects included a mock-up of a microsatellite (QuickSat) body that is designed by the (CSA) and is licensed to 91��ɫ��for educational purposes. 91��ɫ is the first university in Canada to use it in the training of microsatellite technology where students not only design the satellite on paper, but also build a functional prototype. Students��Dan Reynolds, Calvin Midwinter, Bay Ming Jian and Patrick Irvin worked on the design and fabrication of a solar panel assembly and its release mechanism under CSA's CAD model and technical specifications.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Titled “Game Changers: How local innovations are creating a new ‘business as usual'”, the (YTA) showcase encouraged participants from industry, academia and government agencies to display discovery research and innovations through six-minute Lightning Lectures and a hands-on Demo Lounge.

91��ɫ Professor , chair of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, presented the 91��ɫ-led Centre for Innovation in Information Visualization and Data-Driven Design (CIV-DDD). The project, which involves researchers in the Faculties of Fine Arts and Science & Engineering, along with graduate students and other industry and academic partners, promises to develop the next generation of data discovery, design and visualization techniques by developing new computational tools, representational strategies and interfaces.

Right: 91��ɫ Professor Amir Asif, second from left, chats with visitors at the 91��ɫ Technology Alliance's Solutions Showcase event

Professor and a group of undergraduate students from her laboratory in the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering displayed 91��ɫ’s Mars rover and spoke about their successful involvement in international Mars rover competitions. A group of graduate students from Professor ’s laboratory in the School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, also spoke about their recent research.

MBA students Navneet Budhia, Boris Chan, Vitaliia Rubinovitch, Eli Ilatov and Shakti Kumar from the Schulich School of Business’ (EVCG) also participated; their members apply their skills to help local entrepreneurs grow their businesses. “It’s really important for students to get off campus and interact with real companies,” said Budhia, president of EVCG. “This is where academia and industry meet to create value for both the companies and the students.”

Left: The Mars rover was on display at the showcase and was accompanied by a team of undergraduate students from the Department of Earth & Space Science and Engineering

Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation, agreed. “Universities usually expect companies to come to our campus,” he explained. “By co-locating with industry organizations like YTA and creating a presence in the for our service unit, , 91��ɫ is sending a very powerful message to our partners. We’re helping industry enhance and forge new connections to 91��ɫ’s research and training capacity, which demonstrates our openness to collaboration.

“Paradoxically, we’re finding that it’s sometimes easier to get students and researchers to interact at our new 91��ɫ Region home in the MCC than it is on our main campus.”

Other showcase participants included the and , 91��ɫ Region’s recently announced Regional Innovation Centre. 91��ɫ’s participation in the YTA Solutions Showcase was made possible by a Regional Opportunities Fund grant from NSERC.

The 91��ɫ Technology Alliance��Showcase was one of many ongoing events at the MCC that provide faculty and students with opportunities to seek research collaboration and internships with industry. 91��ɫ’s also runs programs and services at MCC providing a space to support collaboration with 91��ɫ Region community organizations and municipal agencies.

To learn more about Innovation 91��ɫ, contact Dan Lynch, manager of industry liaison.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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The May business mission is a partnership between the Town of Markham, the Regional Municipality of 91��ɫ, 91��ɫ and Miller Thomson LLP. It will focus on positioning the Markham Convergence Centre as the launching pad for graduates of Israel's technological incubators seeking to enter the North American market.

Strategically located in 91��ɫ Region, (IY) is the between 91��ɫ researchers and their applied research partners who will collaboratively grow their ideas and introduce new products and services to the marketplace.

Part of the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, IY is primarily based in the .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile , 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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91��ɫ has answered this challenge by launching (IY). Strategically located in 91��ɫ Region, IY is the public face and conduit between 91��ɫ researchers and their applied research partners who will collaboratively grow their ideas and introduce new products and services to the marketplace.

Above: From left, Peter Pekos, chair of VentureLab;��Markham-Unionville MPP��Michael Chan; Frank Scarpitti,��mayor of the��Town of Markham; Ontario's Minister of Research & Innovation Glen Murray; Richmond Hill MPP Reza Moridi; 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; and 91��ɫ Vice-President Research & Innovation Stan Shapson

IY will provide commercialization and knowledge mobilization services to industry, public sector organizations and academic researchers while playing a strong role in supporting VentureLab, 91��ɫ Region’s Regional Innovation Centre, which was officially opened yesterday by Ontario's Minister of Research��& Innovation Glen Murray.

“91��ɫ is proud of our partnerships with governments, academic institutions and industry,” said 91��ɫ President and Vice-Chancellor, Mamdouh Shoukri. “This collaborative approach allows our researchers and industry stakeholders to engage and share ideas, a concept that complements 91��ɫ’s interdisciplinary approach to research and learning.”

Right: Click on the photograph to view a Flickr slideshow of images from the opening of the Markham Convergence Centre and Innovation 91��ɫ

“91��ɫ is 91��ɫ Region’s research and innovation university,” said Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation. “We have a critical role to play in collaborating with entrepreneurs, industry and municipal partners to develop new ideas, products and services that will help Ontario gain a competitive advantage in the global economy. IY’s presence throughout 91��ɫ Region will make the world-class expertise of over 1,500 researchers integral to accelerating R&D growth and strengthening communities where people want to work and enjoy a high quality of life.”

IY’s location in the , along with VentureLab and other key collaborators, presents unique opportunities.

“Across 91��ɫ Region, there are impressive sectoral strengths in information technology, environmental technologies and the life sciences, particularly in medical device technologies,” said Shapson. “Combined with Canada’s fastest growing and most diverse population base, this presents a particularly compelling case for innovation. Through our presence in 91��ɫ Region, IY will be positioned to better understand our partners’ needs within the economic and social ecosystems they operate within as we explore new ways to work together to mutual advantage.”

“The strength of Ontario’s creative environment, diverse culture, highly skilled workforce, world-class education system, internationally recognized research community and proven entrepreneurs is second to none,” said Murray. “ links these talents together across the province to ensure all great ideas have the opportunity to flourish��– creating jobs and improving our lives now and in the future.”

As part of the province-wide ONE network, VentureLab will give entrepreneurs access to a broad range of experts��– including researchers, academics, businesses, government and investors��– who can help sell an innovative idea, bring it to the marketplace and grow a business worldwide.

Submitted by Elizabeth Monier Williams, research communications officer

Photos and video republished courtesy of Jenny Pitt-Clark, editor of YFile, 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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We have your competition ready.

YORKbiotech presents the fourth annual (HBVC 2010) with 91��ɫ's .

Through the venture challenge, selected teams will design a fully utilizable commercialization plan, receiving expert feedback and the chance to glean indispensable knowledge from mentors throughout the competition.

For those seeking additional support, the HBVC also provides an opportunity to attend an educational seminar taught by Schulich faculty and experienced insiders. There participants will learn the basics of business plan writing, the features of a successful proposal and tips on presenting to potential investors.

Financial rewards are not all that��HBVC 2010��has to offer; in fact we think it's the least important part. Curtis Caldwell, the 2008 grand prize winner, put it best when he said, "We knew we had a good idea, but had not determined the best way to commercialize it. The HBVC teamed us up with an experienced mentor and…we also benefited from pitching our plan and getting feedback from a panel of industry experts. The HBVC put us on the right track to start a business."

Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to take your innovation to the next level. If you're ready to commercialize, you're ready for HBVC.

For more information, visit the Web site. Registration applications are due by Sept. 17.

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Drug prices in Canada can be unregulated for years, a period during which companies may overprice the drugs and market them, says Lexchin, a professor in the School of Health Policy & Management in 91��ɫ’s and an emergency physician at the in Toronto.

Left: Dr. Joel Lexchin.

His commentary, “”, appears in the journal Open Medicine. It is based on new research which examined how many drugs in Canada are marketed before they are patented, whose prices are therefore not controlled by the federal Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. He also looked at the time period between marketing and patenting, and any excess revenue generated before those drug prices were regulated.

In total, 42 drugs were marketed between 2000 and 2008 before being patented, and complete data was available for 33 of those.

“Some of these drugs were potentially being marketed for weeks before they came under the jurisdiction of the review board and had their prices controlled, but some of them may have been marketed for years,” says Lexchin. “Only��three of the 33 drugs were found to be overpriced, but the fact that one of the 33 drugs may have been marketed without price controls for more than seven years is troublesome.”

When drugs are finally patented, their prices are reviewed and if a drug is deemed to be overpriced, the review board can order a company to repay any excess revenue to the federal government. The problem is that if companies overprice their drugs, the drugs may not be added to provincial formularies such as the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary. In Ontario, the government covers most drugs listed on the formulary for people who are eligible, so if a drug is not on the list, the cost will not be covered.

In addition, although excess revenue from the drugs is eventually recovered, it is paid to the federal government, not the provincial governments which fund drugs through their drug benefit schemes, or to private insurers or people who are paying the cost out-of-pocket, says Lexchin.

The best remedy for various problems caused by using patent status to regulate prices is simply to treat all drugs on the market equally and regulate all prices, he concludes.

More about Joel Lexchin

Dr. Joel Lexchin received his��doctor of medicine from the University of Toronto in 1977 and for the past 22 years has been an emergency physician at the University Health Network. He is currently a professor in the School of Health Policy��& Management at 91��ɫ and an associate professor in the Department of Family��& Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.

From 1992 to 1994 he was a member of the Ontario Drug Quality��& Therapeutics Committee and he was the chair of the Drugs��& Pharmacotherapy Committee of the Ontario Medical Association from 1997-1999. He has been a consultant for the province of Ontario, various arms of the Canadian federal government, the World Health Organization, the government of New Zealand and the Australian National Prescribing Service.

He is the author or co-author of��more than��90 peer-reviewed articles on topics such as physician prescribing behaviour, pharmaceutical patent issues, the drug approval process and prescription drug promotion. He is a co-author of and author of Drug Therapy for Emergency Physicians.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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91��ɫ had several different presentations at Discovery 2010. Professors , George Zhu, , Costas Armenakis, , Hugh Chesser and Baoxin Hu from the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering had several displays, including an underwater robot, a nanosatellite, computer vision and a Mars rover.

Professor Regina Lee and her students, also from the Department of Earth & Space Science, showed off their Mars rover and the massive trophy they won for placing first in the 2009 University Rover Challenge in Utah (where the land apparently resembles the surface of Mars — who knew?). The group also placed second in the 2010 competition this month.

Professor kept crowds happy playing his iPhone app, “” which debuted at . 91��ɫ’s digital media display also featured the projects funded by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (, led by Professor Nell Tenhaff in the Faculty of Fine Arts) and the Ontario Research Fund (the , led by Professor John Tsotsos in the Faculty of Science & Engineering).

Meanwhile, , a partner in the 91��ɫ-led 3D FLIC project, drew crowds who didn’t mind sharing 3D glasses to experience their stunning 3D television footage.

, a Regional Innovation Network for biotechnology in 91��ɫ Region for which 91��ɫ is a founding partner, was also represented by Janet Leclair and Sana Mulji Dutt.

Among the event’s highlights were the awards ceremonies, including the , innovation awards and many awards for Ontario’s best researchers, students and companies.�� Amongst these was the award for . The winning team, lead by Armen Bakirtzian, included a 91��ɫ MBA candidate, Ara Hasserjian.

Discovery 2010 provided an excellent introduction and overview for Sarah Fuller who joined 91��ɫ May 17 as associate director, research agreements and intellectual property where she

will lead 91��ɫ’s technology commercialization group. If your research involves non-academic partners (such as community, government, industry) or if you are required to transfer research funding, information or materials to another institution, Sarah can be reached at extension 20579 or by e-mail at sfuller@yorku.ca.

So what’s next for now? 91��ɫ is actively supporting industrial collaborations for faculty and students. Through expert services, industry liaison and technology commercialization under the Office of the Voce-President Research & Innovation, 91��ɫ will help connect your research to industrial partners. Companies can also explore working with 91��ɫ researchers and grad students.

For more information, contact David Phipps, director, Research Services and Knowledge Exchange at 416-736-5813 or dphipps@yorku.ca.

By David Phipps, director, Research Services and Knowledge Exchange.

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