U of S Signs MOU With Agtech Accelerator

Dec 01, 2021

The Agtech Accelerator, launched earlier this year, is a venture-capital-backed accelerator.

The University of Saskatchewan has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Agtech Accelerator.

Agtech Accelerator focuses on assisting early-stage start-ups that are working on agricultural problems globally through innovation and technological advances.

The accelerator provides companies with the tools they need to grow, secure capital and create high-quality job opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students.

The partnerships between the University of Saskatchewan and the Agtech Accelerator is based on a three-year agreement.

This year, the U of S will provide $20,000, with a potential total investment of up to $180,000 throughout the agreement.

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Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.