OTTAWA,
ON, April 30, 2024 /CNW/ - Today the Rideau
Hall Foundation (RHF) announced the recipients of the ninth annual
Governor General's Innovation Awards (GGIA). These awards recognize
and celebrate exceptional Canadian individuals, teams and
organizations for their excellence in innovation and their
contributions in helping to shape our future and positively impact
our quality of life.
The recipients of the 2024 Governor General's Innovation
Awards are:
Bowhead Reach
(Mr. Christian
Bagg)
Following a snowboarding accident, Christian Bagg recognized the limitations of
existing assistive technology for people with disabilities. Fueled
by his desire to independently enjoy nature, he designed the
Bowhead Reach—an adaptive bike tailored to enable individuals with
disabilities to explore the outdoors independently. The Reach has
benefitted people around the world.
Nominated by Ingenium.
The Canadian Archeological Association Working Group on
Unmarked Graves (CAAWG)
(Dr. Kisha Supernant (Chair),
Dr. Andrew Martindale, Dr.
Lisa Hodgetts, Ms. Sarah
Beaulieu, Mr. Adrian Burke,
Ms. Micaela Champagne, Mr.
Terence Clark, Mr. Stephen Daniel, Mr. Peter Dawson, Mr. Edward
Eastaugh, Mr. Colin Grier,
Mr. Scott Hamilton, Ms. Sarah Hazell, Mr. Joshua
Murphy, Mr. William
Wadsworth)
The Canadian Archeological Association Working Group on Unmarked
Graves (CAAWG) developed resources for those affected by the search
for missing children and unmarked burials. CAAWG has served as an
expert panel for Indigenous communities, acted as advocates for
Survivors to government, guided private industry, and become a key
public voice that has informed opinion and journalism.
Nominated by Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council.
erthos – next gen biomaterials
platform
(Ms. Nuha
Siddiqui and Ms. Kritika
Tyagi)
erthos has emerged as a beacon of sustainable commercial
innovation, surpassing conventional boundaries powered by
Artificial Intelligence (AI). This biomaterial technology fosters a
global shift towards eco-friendly practices. With ground-breaking
standards and a projected 70% carbon reduction, erthos sets a
transformative benchmark for sustainable solutions, positively
impacting the quality of life in Canada and beyond.
Nominated by BDC.
Inneo
(Mr. Laurent
Dallaire and Mr. François Bédard)
Inneo is a revolution in the food world, being the first
bacteriocin approved by Health Canada to eliminate bacteria from
food. The team develops and produces innovative natural
antimicrobials, offering a new generation of natural preservatives
to ensure the naturalness and quality of food from the field to the
grocery store.
Nominated by the Association for the Development of Research
and Innovation of Quebec
(ADRIQ).
Research in Moral Development to Legal,
Clinical and Healthcare Innovation
(Dr. Kang
Lee)
Dr. Kang Lee's ground-breaking
research on childhood dishonesty has led to unexpected innovations
in legal, clinical, and healthcare practices. His research has
influenced diagnosis and treatment of children with behavioural
problems; and his invention of a contactless technology for
measuring physiological responses is now used by over 10 million
people globally for health monitoring and research.
Nominated by Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council.
Revolutionary ion-exchange membranes and
polymer for Clean Energy
(Dr. Steven
Holdcroft and Dr. Benjamin
Britton)
Steven Holdcroft's world-leading
research on anion and proton exchange membranes with Dr.
Benjamin Britton's scientific work
and entrepreneurial foresight led to the discovery and
commercialization of revolutionary clean energy materials. These
materials unlock scalable green hydrogen generation
technologies and meet hydrogen fuel cell targets, providing a major
step-change in cost and performance.
Nominated by Universities Canada and The Royal
Society of Canada.
2024 GGIA Selection and Assessment
Committees
The GGIA Selection and Assessment Committees are composed of
distinguished individuals chosen for their expertise in and breadth
of understanding of the Canadian innovation ecosystem.
2024 GGIA Assessment Committee:
- Audra Renyi, (Committee Chair)
Executive Director of World Wide Hearing Foundation, and GGIA
Laureate 2017
- David Brown, Co-Founder and COO
of Chinova Bioworks, Founder of MYCODEV Group and GGIA Laureate
2017
- Dr. Robert Luke, Chief Executive
Officer, eCampusOntario
- Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior
Director, Digital Economy, Technology & Innovation and Cyber.
Right. NOW. and Future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Council
Led
- Dr. Donna Kimmaliardjuk, Cardiac Surgeon at Cleveland Clinic,
Cleveland, OH
- Jennifer Altenberg, Coordinator
of Learning Services for Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools
- Marcia Nozick, Founder EMBERS
(the Eastside Movement for Business and Economic Renewal
Society)
2024 GGIA Selection Committee:
- Charles Deguire, (Committee
Chair), Co-Founder and CEO, Kinova Inc. and GGIA Laureate 2016
- John Stackhouse, Senior
Vice-President, Office of the CEO, RBC
- Julie L'Heureux, Director, Philanthropy and Community
Relations, at Power Corporation of Canada
An event celebrating the 2024 GGIA Laureates will take place on
May 14, 2024, at Rideau Hall during
Canadian Innovation Week (May 13 to
17).
About the Governor General's
Innovation Awards
Launched in 2016, the Governor General's Innovation Awards
inspire Canadians to embrace innovation and to emulate innovative,
entrepreneurial risk-takers who have developed new or better ways
of creating value and who are having a meaningful impact on our
quality of life.
The Awards are given to individuals, teams and/or organizations
whose innovations are:
- truly exceptional;
- transformative; and,
- positive in their impact on quality of life in Canada.
Each year, up to six award winners are identified through a
two-stage, merit-based selection process. For more information on
the awards visit innovation.gg.ca.
About the Rideau Hall
Foundation
The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a non-political national
charity that brings together ideas, people and resources to
celebrate what is best about Canada. The RHF works closely with many
partners, including the Office of the Secretary to the Governor
General, to meaningfully improve lives and foster the conditions
for more Canadians to succeed and thrive. The RHF manages all
aspects of the Governor General's Innovation Awards.
Learn more about the RHF at www.rhf-frh.ca, and follow us on
social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
X @RideauHallFdn.
SOURCE Rideau Hall Foundation