The International Regulome Consortium

In addition to leveraging the commercial potential of intellectual property, Canada’s investment in the IRC is leveraged in two other important respects.
 

• Leveraging Public and Private Financial Investments in Canada and Internationally. Canadian scientific and funding leadership of the IRC has resulted in, and will continue to precipitate, significant research investment both inside and outside Canada. Canadian efforts have directly stimulated more than $70m of international investment. These investments include federal agencies, provincial governments, foreign governments, and private sector companies. Importantly, the services, HQPs, and research results are accessible to Canadian investigators and Canadians will derive the full value of the total Consortium investment. We fully expect Canada’s investment will continue to leverage additional private and public partnerships and funding.

• Building Institutional Capacity for Innovation in Ottawa and Canada. In 2006, the University of Ottawa undertook the development of a strategic plan: Vision 2010. Molecular Sciences was one of four identified priority areas. As a result, uOttawa is increasing the resources dedicated to research and teaching in this area. IRC is highly relevant to multiple components of this strategy, including the Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and The Centre for Research in Biopharmaceuticals and Biotechnology. The Faculty of Medicine at uOttawa will be recruiting up to 25 established, internationally recognized scientists and new investigators over the next five years in the basic molecular sciences and in epidemiology and community medicine. Five or more faculty will be directly recruited in areas relevant to the conduct of the IRC. In addition, Dr. Rudnicki is the Director of the Sprott Centre of Stem Cell Research, which is a flagship of the Ottawa Hospital’s Strategic Plan. The Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research is the administrative home as well as the principle scientific fulcrum for the Stem Cell Network (SCN), a leading Network of Centres of Excellence in Canada. Importantly, Dr. Rudnicki is the Scientific Director of the SCN. The SCN was recently renewed for a second 7 year mandate in 2008, and includes 97 Canadian and international research groups, 28 universities and hospitals, 38 companies, 15 government departments and agencies and 28 NGOs. Thus, the IRC represents an important initiative upon which the University, Hospital, Faculty and national Strategic Research Plans are based. Canada’s investment allows IRC to continue to position Ottawa and Canada as a leading international centre for stem cell research.