Increased collaboration in the fight against the COVID‑19 pandemic

- Ottawa, Ontario

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is proud to support Government of Canada efforts to fight the COVID‑19 pandemic‑increasing collaboration with industry to build domestic capabilities to fight future pandemics.

On October 30, 2020, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Phase 1 funding for 4 project proposals under the COVID‑19 Challenge: An intelligent digital clearing house – funded by the NRC in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).

The objective of the challenge is to deliver a digital platform for Canadian industry and global communities of researchers, health providers and funders to exchange, share and procure expertise and materials in response to COVID‑19. A one‑stop shop for use by public, private, and non‑profit organizations across multiple sectors to share information and expertise in response to COVID‑19 and adaptable for future global crises.

Four proposals by Canadian companies made it through the evaluation process and were successful in receiving funding to prove the feasibility of their proposed solution:

  • 11983393 Canada Inc. is receiving $300,000 for a platform that enables government subject‑matter experts to efficiently share key knowledge
  • Bulky Inc. is receiving $221,933 for a rapid‑response platform that will deliver a digital solution to enable Canadian industry and global communities of researchers, health providers and funders to exchange, share and procure expertise and materials in response to COVID‑19
  • Cole Webber Productions Inc. is receiving $285,750 for a platform that matches resources and capacities with need by compiling information on available sessions, facilities and resources
  • Optima Analytics Inc. is receiving $293,000 for its intelligent clearing house, a scalable web application accessible from anywhere using a computer, tablet or mobile phone

This investment is important to find a solution that could help researchers from a broad range of disciplines and industry come together to strengthen Canada's ability to respond to the pandemic and future health threats.