$4M public-private partnership to promote research

Chicago IL – Merck Canada says it is reinforcing its commitment to the Canadian life sciences research innovation sector by providing $4 million in funding to the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer – Commercialization of Research (IRICoR) for future corridor projects developed in collaboration with two other Canadian Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECRs) based in Ontario and in British Columbia.

IRICoR will work in conjunction with MaRS Innovation and the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) to identify, develop and commercialize technologies in healthcare. All three CECR institutions – identified as CECR in 2008 by the federal government – share a common objective: facilitating and accelerating the commercialization of research breakthroughs that will improve the quality of life of Canadians and others around the world.

“The corridor initiatives we are funding today are part of our new approach to R&D which is about building collaborative research relationships. Private-public partnerships, in particular, will provide a fertile environment for innovation to grow and to quickly reach the commercialization stage in the best interest of patients,” said Dr. Thomas Cannell, president and managing director, Merck Canada Inc.