Village Gamer

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, announced in Calgary that the Government of Canada is once again accepting applications from local businesses to help kickstart their innovative ideas by moving their products and services from the lab to the marketplace.

“In Canada, we have enormous entrepreneurial talent and through this program, we’re giving Canadian businesses an opportunity to move their ideas into action,” said Minister Ambrose. “Our Government is committed to delivering results for hard-working Canadians by staying focused on what matters most to them—jobs and the economy.”

Launched in 2010, the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program/Kickstart initiative (CICP) is a $40-million pilot program created to help Canadian businesses by testing their innovative products and services within the Government of Canada before taking them to the marketplace. Federal departments will test innovations that fall within four key areas: environment; health; safety and security; and technology.

The second call for proposals is now available on MERX, the Government of Canada’s electronic tendering service. Successful bidders will see their pre-commercial innovative products and services tested within government departments, and will be given valuable feedback from users participating in the pilot program.

In March, 19 innovations were announced as part of the first round of the CICP. Today, the Minister announced an additional eight pre-qualified Canadian innovations that government departments will be able to buy. These additional innovations were submitted under the first call for proposals.

The following eight additional businesses have pre-qualified for the first round of the CICP:

• Breviro Caviar Inc.(formerly Supreme Sturgeon and Caviar Ltd) – Pennfield
• Amika Mobile Corporation – Ottawa
• Edgewater Computer Systems Inc. – Ottawa
• Fluvial Systems Research Inc. – White Rock
• blutip Power Technologies Inc. (formerly Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd.) – Mississauga
• S5 Systems – Ottawa
• Synodon Inc. – Edmonton
• Trusted Positioning Inc. – Calgary

There are now 27 pre-qualified innovations from Canadian companies that form a part of the CICP’s first round. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is working with government departments to match innovations with the right test departments, and will be entering into negotiations with the selected companies to put contracts in place to test their innovations, should the right department be found. This will facilitate Canadian companies in moving their innovations into domestic and international markets.

The CICP is managed by PWGSC’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, whose mandate is to improve accessibility to government procurement opportunities for small and medium enterprises. Launched as part of the Government of Canada’s Budget 2010, the CICP is a new initiative to promote Canada’s economic growth.

Those wanting to head back to school to train for a new career are invited to visit the nearest Vancouver Career College campus on Wednesday, July 27th, when the college hosts a province-wide open house at each of its six campuses.

Each open house will showcase the types of career training available at Vancouver Career College. Attendees will learn how the college develops its market-driven curriculum, which is based on input from industry professionals to ensure that graduates meet the demands of the business, healthcare, education, hospitality, legal administration and skilled trades sectors. They’ll also have a chance to tour the campus and meet with instructors and staff.

Whether they’re hoping to change careers or just looking to get started, attendees will learn how Vancouver Career College programs combine classroom learning with practical training from industry-experienced instructors to help students master the tools and techniques they’ll use on the job. The programs include practicum placements that allow students to put their training into practice in a job setting and gain hands-on experience in the field.

Vancouver Career College will host open house events at its campuses in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Kelowna and Vancouver on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM. Guests are asked to check in at 3:45 PM.

The World Youth & Student Travel Conference and its 2011 marketing partner Internet Advantage are organizing the first annual App Yap Contest to find the best travel app in the youth travel industry.

They are looking for apps that help young travellers in their journeys, from inspiration to planning to saving memories. The winning app will enhance the traveller’s experience and stand out from other travel apps with its original, youthful design, easy to use navigation, user-centric focus and hopefully,a bit of fun.

The contest is open to developers around the globe, however only one app submission is permitted per company.The winning app must be suitable to use before, during or after travelling. The app should be aimed at young individuals (under 35 years old), a group of young travellers, or those who organize or provide travel services for young travellers.

Conference Director Michael Palmer enthused, “We are all very energised by the launch of the App Yap Contest. The benefits for the winning company are tenfold. Not only will they receive valuable exposure and increased usage of their app, they will also be able to interact with other youth travel mobile app creators. And of course, the winner will gain recognition as a technology savvy company by earning the title ‘The provider of the best in youth travel mobile applications,’ which they can use to further market their app.”

In line with young traveller’s heavy use of social media, the App Yap Contest is being promoted on social media channels such as the new WYSTC Facebook page, the WYSTC Twitter account and WYSE Travel Confederation’s Linkedin Group.

The Top 10 Finalists will have the chance to present their app at the World Youth & Student Travel Conference being held in Barcelona September 20th through 23rd 2011, in front of 800 delegates looking to find new features for their travel companies. WYSTC attendees are decision makers, holding senior-level positions in youth travel companies from over 80 countries around the world: CEOs, owners, partners, presidents and directors.

The winner of the App Yap Contest will receive a prize worth over 5000 EUR:

•     Two free registrations to WYSTC 2012 (worth 3200 EUR)
•     Online marketing services provided by Internet Advantage (to a value of 2000 EUR)
•     The winner will present the app in a live webinar for the WYSE Travel Confederation community
•     Plenty of free publicity and recognition for being the best app in the youth travel industry

Voting will begin online in mid-July and run until midnight CET 22 September 2011. Entries must be received by midnight CET 31 August 2011. The winner will be announced at the Industry Awards Luncheon on Friday 23 September, the closing day of WYSTC.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has launched the beta version of Fox Trial Finder, a web-based solution designed to connect willing volunteers with the Parkinson’s clinical trials that urgently need them. By the looks of the site, it’s currently only set up for US residents, but there is an email link for anyone outside of the US, and I feel that this program is too important to not post about it. Hopefully it will soon be available to teams worldwide.

“Today, as many as 80 percent of clinical trials face recruitment challenges — significantly increasing costs and delaying progress toward breakthroughs,” said Todd Sherer, Ph.D., CEO of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “Fox Trial Finder harnesses state-of-the-art technology to meet these challenges head-on by making it easier for volunteers and research coordinators to find each other. By streamlining the flow of participants into trials, Fox Trial Finder will play a role in reducing the length and cost of Parkinson’s clinical trials, helping bring new treatments to patients faster.”

Using state-of-the-art technology, Fox Trial Finder compares volunteer information such as location and medical history with trial eligibility requirements to find the best potential matches at study sites nearby. The service matches both people with Parkinson’s and control volunteers with the trials that need them. In addition to personalized matching, Fox Trial Finder streamlines communication between volunteers and trial teams: Read the rest of this entry »

Saskatoon-based innovative enterprise solution provider cfactor Works Inc. is pleased to announce a live online event scheduled for Thursday, July 28, at 10 am PT / 1pm ET, entitled “Empowering Strategic HR: DeVry’s Agile Approach to the Next Generation Enterprise.”

In addition to sharing examples of how agile HR is driving transformation at DeVry, presenters Deb Maher, Sr. Director, HRIS and Benefits at DeVry, Inc. and Cary Schuler, Co-Founder & CEO of cfactor will answer any questions you may have during (or even after) the event.

Join the event and learn how DeVry is leveraging an agile SaaS platform to:

•     Create and sustain Enterprise-wide engagement
•     Identify and recognize top performers
•     Quickly & effectively adapt to new compliance requirements
•     Extend existing systems and develop new efficiencies
•     Provide secure on-demand access to key workforce insights
•     Support rapid global growth needs

Electronic Arts Inc. has announced the pricing of $550 million aggregate principal amount of 0.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2016 (the “notes”) in a private placement. EA has also granted the initial purchasers in the offering an option to purchase up to an additional $82.5 million aggregate principal amount of notes solely to cover overallotments. The notes are being offered only to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The offering is scheduled to close on or about Wednesday, July 20, 2011. EA anticipates posting supplemental information regarding the offering following the closing of the offering on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 on its Investor Relations website.

The notes will be convertible into cash and shares of EA’s common stock, if any, based on a conversion rate of 31.5075 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the notes, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $31.74 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events. Prior to April 15, 2016, the notes will be convertible only upon the occurrence of certain events and during certain periods, and thereafter, at any time until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date of the notes. Interest on the notes will be payable semiannually in arrears at a rate of 0.75% per annum on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on January 15, 2012. The notes will mature on July 15, 2016, unless previously repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date.

EA estimates that the net proceeds from the offering of the notes will be approximately $536.6 million (approximately $617.3 million if the initial purchasers exercise their overallotment option in full), after deducting the initial purchasers’ discount and estimated offering expenses (excluding the cost of the convertible note hedge transactions described below). Read the rest of this entry »