NCE Awards
NCE Young Innovator Awards
The Young Innovator Awards program recognizes the young entrepreneurs
by honouring outstanding individuals who, with the help of their networks,
have been exceptionally successful in transferring their innovative research
to a business, process, or service to benefit society at large. The award
selection takes into account the needs of the users and constraints of
their context of activities, the adaptation of research dissemination
for the needs of users, and the depth of the mechanisms of exchange, including
the social or institutional mechanisms of linkages between the candidate
and the users.
2005 Young Innovator Award recipients
Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal
(QC)
Nominated by the Canadian Arthritis Network. Dr. Bernatsky’s
ground-breaking work has helped clarify the risk of cancer for patients
with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, a chronic auto-immune disease that
affects more than 50,000 Canadians, most commonly women of child-bearing
age.
Dr. Charles Dugas, ApSTAT Technologies, Montreal (QC)
Nominated by the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems
(MITACS) Network. Dr. Dugas’s innovative work has helped in the
development of better predictive tools for insurance companies. As CEO
of AsSTAT – a network start-up launched in 2001 – Dr. Dugas
helped translate cutting-edge research into products that meet the needs
of the marketplace.
Dr. Philippe Simard, SimActive Inc., Montreal (QC)
Nominated by the Geomatics for Informed Decisions (GEOIDE) Network.
Dr. Simard founded SimActive with financial support from the GEOIDE
Market Development Fund. SimActive’s technology uses two-dimensional
imagery to produce 3D modeling and scene monitoring from aerial and satellite
images. The software was successfully tested in a Canadian-made imaging
system to diagnose potential structural problems on the Space Shuttle
Discovery. SimActive is also working with the Department of National Defence
to adapt the technology for 3D change detection in urban environments.
2004 Young Innovator Award recipients
Dr. Jolanda Cibere, Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Vancouver
(BC)
Nominated by the Canadian Arthritis Network. Dr. Cibere's
research focus on the early diagnosis and prevention of osteoarthritis
led to the development of a standardized knee exam that has since become
part of a clinical standard for early detection. Dr. Cibere also pioneered
a study on the current use of glucosamine sulfate by osteoarthritis sufferers
that showed no evidence of benefit, the results of which have been widely
disseminated to consumers across North America. Her current research at
the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada has a direct impact on helping
people who suffer from arthritis.
Dr. Mohamed Hafed, DFT Microsystems Inc., Montreal (QC)
Nominated by Micronet – Microelectronic Devices, Circuits and Systems.
Dr. Hafed’s unique approach to embedded testing of integrated
microelectronic circuits – the tiny computer chips used in cell
phones, hearing aids, and automotive parts, for example – is helping
to decrease the number of defective devices reaching the market, as well
as reduce overall manufacturing costs.
Dr. Monisha Scott, Inimex Pharmaceuticals Inc., Vancouver (BC)
Nominated by the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network. Dr. Scott’s
groundbreaking research in the areas of microbiology and immunology is
expected to help combat the increasing healthcare problems caused by drug-resistant
bacteria, and control the spread of infectious diseases. Dr. Scott’s
work has led to five series of patent applications and the foundation
of three biotechnology companies, including Inimex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
|
