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Federal government invests $49.9 million in STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc.

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STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc. to build two new cutting-edge biomanufacturing facilities to produce critical inputs used in the development and manufacture of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic technologies

BURNABY, BC, March 19, 2025 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada continues to strengthen Canada’s dynamic industrial capabilities in the life sciences sector. We are expanding domestic biomanufacturing capacity, creating jobs and growing the economy, while also improving our ability to address future health needs and producing the next generation of medicines in our country.

Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced a $49.9 million investment through the Strategic Innovation Fund in STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc. This investment will support the company’s $222 million project to establish large-scale production of essential inputs used to develop and manufacture vaccines, therapies and diagnostic technologies. It will also help create 460 jobs and 900 four-month co-op positions for students.

With this investment, STEMCELL will establish two new biomanufacturing facilities. This will enable the company to onshore the production of specialized inputs that are critical to the development and manufacturing of vaccines, therapies and diagnostics, as well as other innovative technologies, like tissue engineering, immunotherapy, and cell and gene therapies. These products are used by researchers and industrial partners here in Canada and around the globe, integrating Canada into global supply chains. With this funding, STEMCELL will build on the company’s status as a foundational part of British Columbia’s biomanufacturing and life sciences ecosystem.

Quotes

British Columbia continues to rapidly grow its presence in the life sciences industry. With this investment, our government is bolstering Canada’s life sciences industry, increasing domestic capacity for key inputs for vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic technologies, which are needed to keep Canadians safe and healthy and to export around the world. This partnership with STEMCELL will help grow our economy and create good, high-paying jobs for Canadians.”
– The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“This investment in STEMCELL demonstrates our government’s commitment to fostering innovation in Canada’s life sciences sector. By supporting the development of cutting-edge biomanufacturing facilities, we are not only creating high-quality jobs but also positioning Canada as a leader in the production of critical inputs for vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. This project will strengthen our domestic capabilities and contribute to a more resilient health care system for all Canadians.”
– Taleeb Noormohamed, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs (Canada-U.S.)

“By supporting local innovation and expanding our biomanufacturing capacity, we are making strategic investments that will improve lives of Canadians, create good jobs here in British Columbia, and benefit the economic prosperity of our region for years to come. This investment in STEMCELL technologies represents the kind of innovation our community champions.”
– The Honourable Terry Beech, Member of Parliament for Burnaby North—Seymour

“This funding by the federal government addresses a gap in the raw materials required for large-scale manufacturing of vaccines, therapies and diagnostics, creating significant spillover effects across British Columbia and Canada. STEMCELL is committed to ensuring the Canadian life sciences industry continues to grow and improve the lives of people in Canada and around the world. Our Canadian health care system is only strong and successful when rooted in a robust life sciences industry that generates the diagnostic and therapeutic reagents and tools needed to treat disease.”
– Dr. Allen Eaves, founder and CEO, STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc.

Quick facts

Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy presents a vision to build a competitive, innovative and prosperous life sciences ecosystem that is able to protect Canadians against future pandemics and other health emergencies and to develop the next generation of medicines in our country.Since March 2020, over $2.3 billion has been invested in 41 projects to strengthen our country’s domestic biomanufacturing and life sciences capabilities to ensure Canadians have access to the most cutting-edge medical technologies to keep them safe and healthy.STEMCELL was founded in 1993 by CEO Dr. Allen Eaves when he needed a way to meet the demand for his standardized, cost-effective cell culture media. The company has since grown into a global biotechnology company, building essential products for developing and manufacturing stem cell technologies, vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic technologies.Canada has a history of pioneering in this area; stem cells were discovered in the early 1960s through the work of Canadian scientists Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch at the University of Toronto.

Associated links

Biomanufacturing: Advancing health sciences industry in CanadaStrategic Innovation FundSTEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc.

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eSign.AI Named Sole Electronic Signature Technology Provider for Hong Kong Government’s CorpID Project, Building the Foundation for Digital Signing Infrastructure in Hong Kong

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HONG KONG, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As Hong Kong’s Digital Corporate Identity Platform (CorpID) counts down to its phased launch, eSign.AI has been appointed as the sole electronic signature vendor in the project, responsible for delivering core digital signing capabilities including digital signatures, certificate management, and signature verification services. CorpID is led by Nexify, a seasoned government systems integrator, as the prime contractor. The platform is expected to launch in phases starting late 2026, with multiple CorpID-based e-government services going live in mid-2027.

CorpID: Government-Grade Digital Identity Infrastructure for Hong Kong Enterprises

The Digital Corporate Identity Platform (CorpID) is an enterprise-level digital services platform launched by the Hong Kong SAR Government, developed under the oversight of the Digital Policy Office (DPO). It is designed to serve as the business equivalent of “iAM Smart,” providing a unified digital identity foundation for Hong Kong enterprises. CorpID’s core mission is to build an integrated digital government infrastructure — offering unified identity authentication, digital signing, form pre-filling, and e-licence storage — replacing paper-heavy, cumbersome traditional processes and enabling smart city development through seamless data connectivity.

The platform is open to companies incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) and businesses registered under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), including sole proprietorships and partnerships. The DPO requires all enterprise-related e-government services to support CorpID within 18 months of launch, and will continue expanding ecosystem coverage through sandbox initiatives, cross-industry identity standard interoperability, and fully online registration processes.

eSign.AI: The Digital Signing Engine Behind CorpID

eSign.AI is an AI-native electronic signature and contract automation platform built for enterprises worldwide, offering a complete signing framework from simple electronic signatures to the highest-level compliant digital signatures — meeting diverse regulatory requirements across industries and jurisdictions.

On the identity verification front, eSign.AI has completed integration with iAM Smart, enabling individual identity verification through Hong Kong’s citizen digital identity system, and providing legally valid digital certificate services for both enterprises and individuals.

Looking ahead, the eSign.AI SaaS platform will be deeply integrated with CorpID, providing enterprise and individual identity verification for Hong Kong businesses, and supporting both electronic and digital signing that complies with Hong Kong’s Electronic Transactions Ordinance — connecting the full digital contracting lifecycle for government and enterprise alike.

Getting Ahead of the AI Era: From eSignGlobal to eSign.AI

The electronic signature industry is undergoing a structural shift from “tooling” to “intelligence.” Market data underscores this acceleration: the AI-powered contract analysis tools market has grown from USD 3.32 billion in 2025 to USD 4.3 billion in 2026, at a CAGR of 29.6%. Signing is just one node in the contract lifecycle — document generation, workflow orchestration, compliance tracking, and post-execution management are all being transformed by AI, and the industry window is closing fast.

In April 2026, the company officially rebranded from eSignGlobal to eSign.AI, completing its strategic transformation from an e-signature tool provider to an AI-native contract automation platform. As the company’s spokesperson noted, this rebrand is not cosmetic — it is an acknowledgment of where the product actually is. Customers were already using eSign.AI to automate workflows that go far beyond the signature itself.

eSign Automation Skill was launched alongside the rebrand — an AI-powered signing automation framework for enterprise workflows that enables complete contract signing through natural language interaction, with no manual intervention required. Whether it is single-party approval, multi-party sequential signing, or large-scale parallel execution, an AI Agent can orchestrate the entire workflow in a single call. All signature initiations and status queries return structured JSON outputs, directly parseable by leading large language models and intelligent workflow systems.

eSign Automation is now available in the OpenClaw ecosystem and supports integration via Claude MCP, ChatGPT, and other leading AI platforms.

By combining AI automation capabilities with CorpID’s government-grade digital identity infrastructure, eSign.AI delivers a complete solution for Hong Kong enterprises — from identity verification to intelligent signing to full workflow automation.

About eSign.AI

eSign.AI (formerly eSignGlobal) is an AI-native electronic signature and contract automation platform built for enterprises worldwide. The platform serves over 100 countries and regions, covering core industries including financial services, manufacturing, real estate, human resources, and healthcare — with 1,500+ scenario applications and 3,000+ ecosystem partners. eSign.AI holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and ISO 27018 certifications and supports major regulatory frameworks including the U.S. ESIGN Act / UETA, EU eIDAS, HIPAA, GDPR, and 21 CFR Part 11. Infrastructure is anchored by independent data centers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Frankfurt, Germany.

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SOURCE eSignGlobal

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The 9th AskGamblers Awards Finalists Announced as Voting Starts

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The highly anticipated 9th AskGamblers Awards has officially moved into the voting phase. Following a rigorous selection process, the finalists across 5 premier categories have been revealed: Best Casino, Best New Casino, Best New Slot, Best Sportsbook, Best Provider. Players are invited to cast their votes until 11 June.

BELGRADE, Serbia, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The voting stage of the 9th annual AskGamblers Awards has officially begun. The list of finalists is announced, and the first votes are already coming in. 

Players will have a chance to vote for their favourites until 11 June, when the winners will be announced at the gala ceremony in Belgrade. There’s a total of 5 categories where popular votes are taken into consideration:

Best CasinoBest New CasinoBest SportsbookBest New SlotBest Game Provider

There aren’t any big changes to the voting process compared to last year. The votes from the prominent members of AskGamblers Forum will be counted in as well, while some award winners will be announced directly by the AskGamblers teams. 

These include: Best Crypto Casino, Best Partner, and Best Manager categories, while the AskGamblers Superstar Award is expected to be handed to the operator that illustrates the brand values best.

Dijana Radunović, General Manager at AskGamblers, is excited for voting to start: “We’re seeing some familiar contestants, but there are a lot of new names, so it will be exciting to see who comes up on top.”

“We invite players to vote for their favourites! This is a chance for you to speak your mind and support operators and games that shape this industry,” Radunović added.

Before the AskGamblers Awards Ceremony that takes place on 11 June, Charity Night is scheduled for 10 June.

About AskGamblers

AskGamblers.com strives to provide current, objective, and accurate information and guide its users towards a safe gaming experience. The way we deliver our services, from the online casino, sportsbook, slot, and bonus reviews to our trusted Complaint Service, is best described by our motto: ‘Get the truth. Then play.’

For more information about AskGamblers and AskGamblers Awards, please contact dijana.radunovic@g2m.com.

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SUNMI Wins 2026 Red Dot Design Awards with Five Products, Leading Global Commercial Industrial Design

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SINGAPORE, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The winners of the 2026 German Red Dot Design Award were officially announced. Five of SUNMI Technology’s flagship products won awards: the CPad Business Tablet, CPad PAY, FLEX 3 Interactive Display, the V3 handheld POS Terminal and L3 Industrial PDA. These products stood out with three core design concepts: integration, versatility and human-centricity.

Known as “The Oscars” of global industrial design, the Red Dot Award has strict evaluation criteria covering aesthetics, ergonomics, scenario adaptability and sustainability. SUNMI adheres to original commercial scenario customization, rejecting crudely modified consumer devices. All winning products are originally developed for real commercial scenarios such as cash register, food delivery, industrial inspection and store operations, covering the entire commercial track with high scenario adaptability. Meanwhile, it practices ESG concepts, adopting eco-friendly materials and modular structures to extend equipment service life, reduce consumable consumption, and implement low-carbon and long-term design, which perfectly meets the Red Dot’s sustainability evaluation criteria.

Simplify Complexity: With highly integrated design, SUNMI eliminates the “patchwork feeling” of cluttered devices and tangled cables in traditional commercial scenarios, streamlining store operations and saving space.All-in-One Versatility: Beyond a single tool function, SUNMI’s products achieve flexible transformation through modular and multi-form designs to proactively adapt to changing business needs. The CPad series with modular accessories and FLEX 3’s Lego-style modular design enable multi-scenario application and long-term reuse.Human-Centric Design: Every detail is human-oriented, focusing on real pain points to enhance scenario experience. The L3 Industrial PDA reduces high-frequency work fatigue through scientific weight distribution; the V3 Smart POS Terminal balances large-screen visibility and grip comfort; CPad PAY integrates full-link functions to simplify workflows.

These honors stem from SUNMI’s long-term commitment to a sustainable society, original commercial R&D and ESG. In the future, SUNMI will uphold its core concepts, expand the boundaries of commercial industrial design, and empower global businesses with user-oriented, eco-friendly and high-value products.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sunmi-wins-2026-red-dot-design-awards-with-five-products-leading-global-commercial-industrial-design-302766777.html

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