GVCEN Webinar - Accessing R&D Opportunities for Circular Businesses
On January 18, 2023, I attended the fourth webinar session for the Greater Vancouver Circular Economy Network Series entitled Accessing R&D Opportunities for Circular Businesses.
Hosted by the Vancouver Economic Commission and the Share Reuse Repair Initiative, this series of free webinars is a great opportunity for both field innovators and circularity newbies to meet and share ideas about the local circular economy.
Described in their own words:
As we transition towards a circular economy, access to R&D opportunities becomes key to the growth of a circular business. This session will highlight the ways a circular entrepreneur, innovator and/or business owner can obtain the necessary resources for growth in the circular economy.
The 3 presenters came from varying backgrounds:
Bryn Crawford - Program Manager, PacifiCan
Dr. Love-Ese Chile - Technical Director and COO, Regenerative Waste Labs
Monty Chong-Walden - Co-Founder and CEO, Calmura Natural Walls
Each introduced their business/organization as a circular economy innovator, and shared ideas of how to access Research & Development opportunities for businesses around Vancouver, and in other parts of Canada.
Transitioning towards a circular economic model is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. It requires many individuals and organizations to recognize that "business as usual" needs to change if we want to pass on a planet (worth living on) to future generations. Next, it needs people to buy in and act. These webinars are invaluable accelerators to get information into the hands of people who are up for that challenge, or rather, obligation.
How we can help
Between data visualization, integrations with advanced modeling paradigms, and artificial intelligence configurations, Acorn Interactive can support these initiatives with a suite of services. From content management systems for publicity and awareness, to applications to fetch and render data, we’re here to support the circular economy.
Thank you so much to these circular innovators and to Vancouver Economic Commission, the Share Reuse Repair Initiative, and Vancity for sharing.
And for anyone interested in Canadian or international R&D opportunities for individuals or businesses, here are some references to check out:
- Open Science Network (Vancouver) - ethnobiology
- Green Centre Canada (Ontario) - chemistry based waste solutions
- FP Innovations - sustainable forestry and wood-based products
- Regenerative Waste Labs - compost science, biomaterials and organic waste recovery
- Calmura Natural Walls - biocomposite wall system using waste wood for the construction industry
Accelerators for R&D:
- Spring Activator (Vancouver)
- CleanTech Open - runs the world’s largest clean technology accelerator program
- Gener8tor, Plug and Play - startup accelerators
Programs & Events
- Impact 6 Pack - strategies for Vancouver-based businesses
- B-Corp Certification Readiness - accreditation for businesses
- CanExport - government grants for export market development projects
- Creative Export Canada - funding for projects that generate export revenues and help Canadian creative industries reach more people around the world
- Innovate BC
- SDTC - Sustainable Development Technology Canada
- Zero Waste Conference BC
To see some Vancouver Island R&D funding in action, check out this article to learn about the awardees of the Innovate BC and NRC IRAP’s Fast Pilot program funding!
Additional Reading
Sustainability and advanced infrastructure are going to require detailed computational requirements to administer effective solutions. Take a look at D-Wave's conference in Miami on quantum annealing to get a better sense of how solutions like this can be applied to sustainability challenges.
