Technology

AtkinsRéalis welcomes four new ambassador organizations to Canadians for CANDU

Published

3 months ago

July 29, 2026

Eclipse Automation, Fermi Solutions, Imagine 4D, and Stern Laboratories join national coalition supporting Canadian nuclear technology

MONTREAL, July 29, 2026 /CNW/ — AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear company with offices around the world, today welcomed four new Ambassadors to the Canadians for CANDU campaign: Eclipse Automation, Fermi Solutions, Imagine 4D, and Stern Laboratories.

The addition of four new Ambassadors reflects the continuing momentum behind the Canadians for CANDU campaign and support behind a sovereign Canadian nuclear industry.

These organizations represent the breadth and diversity of Canadian expertise: advanced manufacturing and automation, specialized nuclear engineering, digital twin training technology, and reactor safety and reliability testing. Together, they demonstrate how Canada’s nuclear ecosystem extends well beyond electricity generation to support high-skilled Canadian jobs, innovation, advanced manufacturing, scientific research, healthcare, and Canadian intellectual property.

“The addition of these four outstanding organizations is an important milestone for Canadians for CANDU and a powerful demonstration of the breadth of expertise that has developed around Canadian nuclear technology,” said Joe St. Julian, President, Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis. “From engineering and advanced automation to digital innovation, and reactor safety, each of these organizations contributes a unique capability to Canada’s world-class nuclear ecosystem. Their support reinforces that choosing CANDU is not only an energy decision; it is an investment in Canadian workers, businesses, innovation, healthcare, and long-term energy security.”

Launched in 2024, the Canadians for CANDU campaign represents a strong coalition that includes organized labour, members of Canada’s nuclear supply chain, Indigenous organizations, academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and other Canadian businesses.

Led by Co-Chairs The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien and The Honourable Mike Harris, the movement brings together leaders from across Canada who share a belief that Canada’s energy future should be built on Canadian technology, Canadian expertise and Canadian resources.

Together, Canadians for CANDU is advocating for a stronger, more secure and more prosperous future powered by homegrown innovation built by Canadians, for Canadians.

Eclipse Automation

Eclipse Automation is a global factory automation company that designs and builds intelligent, precision automation systems for complex manufacturing environments. Its end-to-end capabilities extend from engineering and concept development through tooling, integration, installation, and lifecycle support.

“The future of Canada’s nuclear industry depends on our ability to develop world-class capabilities at home. Achieving this requires the integration of engineering excellence, advanced manufacturing, and automation to deliver complex projects with unmatched certainty, speed, and quality,” said President and CEO Steve Mai. “Eclipse Automation is proud to help shape this future by strengthening Canada’s nuclear supply chain, cultivating highly skilled talent, and enabling technologies crucial for energy security, economic prosperity, and the next generation of clean energy infrastructure. Through our C4C Ambassadorship, we affirm our belief that Canada’s greatest advantage lies in the innovation and collaboration we foster together.”

Fermi Solutions

Fermi Solutions is an Ontario-based nuclear engineering company specializing in CANDU systems and the delivery of practical, technology-driven solutions across the project lifecycle.

“Canada’s nuclear industry has earned its global reputation through an unwavering commitment to safety, technical excellence, and continuous innovation. At Fermi Solutions, we’re proud to support that mission every day,” said Managing Partner Sahil Gupta. “Joining Canadians for CANDU as an Ambassador allows us to help demonstrate that Canada’s nuclear future is built not only on world-class technology, but also on the expertise, professionalism, and dedication of the people who make safe nuclear operations possible.”

Imagine 4D

Imagine 4D is a Canadian technology company specializing in digital twins and immersive visualization solutions for operations and sustainment activities of raining solutions for complex assets, systems, and industrial environments.

“Canada has built a world-class nuclear industry by combining engineering excellence with innovation. As the sector evolves, technologies such as digital twins, immersive visualization, and AI will play an increasingly important role in making nuclear energy safer, smarter, and more efficient,” said CEO George Karam. “We are proud to join Canadians for CANDU because we believe Canada’s nuclear future depends not only on world-class reactor technology, but also on the Canadian companies developing the advanced digital capabilities that will power the next generation of clean energy.”

Stern Laboratories

Stern Laboratories conducts specialized reactor safety and reliability experiments for nuclear utilities, reactor and fuel vendors, government agencies, regulators, laboratories, universities, and equipment suppliers.

“At Stern Labs, we’ve spent over 60 years protecting the health and safety of Canadians through trusted testing and certification of Canadian nuclear technology,” said President Gordon Hadaller. “Joining Canadians for CANDU is a natural extension of that commitment. Canada’s nuclear industry is built on a foundation of rigorous quality, innovation, and world-class standards–values that we share every day. We’re proud to support a uniquely Canadian technology that strengthens our economy, advances clean energy, creates high-value jobs, and reinforces Canada’s leadership in science and engineering for generations to come.”

The CANDU moment

Canada has world-leading expertise in the design, construction, operation, maintenance, refurbishment, and overall program management of nuclear reactors, supported by a highly qualified domestic supply chain.

CANDU technology is one of Canada’s most important innovations and remains the country’s only domestically developed and licensed large-scale nuclear reactor technology. CANDU reactors can use natural uranium, provide reliable, emissions-free baseload electricity, and support the production of medical isotopes used in healthcare systems around the world. More than 250 Canadian companies contribute to the CANDU supply chain, creating economic benefits that reach communities across the country.

Each new CANDU project generates thousands of high-quality jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity, helping to sustain Canadian expertise in one of the world’s most advanced industries. From uranium mining and fuel fabrication to engineering, construction and long-term operations, CANDU creates opportunities throughout the entire nuclear value chain.

By investing in Canadian technology, Canada invests in Canadian workers, businesses and communities – strengthening domestic industrial capacity while building the infrastructure needed to power future economic growth.

The Canadians for CANDU campaign calls on federal and provincial governments to support the deployment of made-in-Canada CANDU technology as part of the country’s long-term energy and economic strategy.

The choice is clear. It’s time to choose CANDU.

About Canadians for CANDU

Canadians for CANDU includes industry leaders, members of the domestic supply chain, organized labour, Indigenous organizations, academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and Canadians who believe domestic expertise and innovation should play a leading role in the deployment of nuclear energy solutions at home and abroad.

The campaign is spearheaded by Co-Chairs the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien and former Ontario Premier Mike Harris. Additional information is available at canadiansforcandu.com.

About Eclipse Automation

Eclipse Automation is a global factory automation company that designs and builds reliable, intelligent automation systems for manufacturers. From full turnkey automation to precision tooling and systems integration, Eclipse helps clients address complex production challenges and improve safety, speed, reliability, quality, and operational performance. Founded in Cambridge, Ontario, Eclipse serves customers across multiple industries through a network of locations in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Additional information is available at eclipseautomation.com.

About Fermi Solutions

Fermi Solutions Inc. is an Ontario-based nuclear engineering company delivering quality, cost-effective, and technology-driven services. Specializing in CANDU systems, Fermi Solutions provides project-lifecycle engineering support from technical consultation and concept development through design, procurement, field implementation, and system turnover. Its capabilities also include project management, consulting, and alternative project-delivery services. Additional information is available at fermisolutions.com.

About Imagine 4D

Imagine 4D is a Canadian company specializing in digital twin technologies and immersive visualization solutions. Its integrated software allows organizations to visualize, understand, monitor, and optimize complex systems, processes, and assets by connecting interactive 3D environments with engineering information, enterprise data, and analytics. Imagine 4D serves organizations in sectors including power and utilities, defence, and infrastructure. Additional information is available at imagine-4d.com.

About Stern Laboratories

Stern Laboratories Inc. is an employee-owned Canadian company that conducts reactor safety and reliability experiments for nuclear utilities, reactor and fuel vendors, government agencies, regulators, laboratories, universities, and nuclear equipment suppliers. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Stern has served the Canadian and international nuclear industries since 1962. Its capabilities include specialized heat-transfer testing, reactor fuel and safety-system simulation, fuel simulators, remote handling and inspection equipment, and computational fluid dynamics. Additional Information is available at sternlab.com.

About AtkinsRéalis
Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital advisory services. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services and Nuclear, as steward of CANDU® nuclear technology. News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

CANDU® is a registered trademark of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, used under exclusive licence by Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRéalis company.

SOURCE AtkinsRéalis

Technology

Miami Startup BOB Raises $5.5M To Build An AI-Powered Banking Platform

Published

4 minutes ago

October 23, 2026

The Miami-based company is building the most useful small business finance agent and banking platform in the world, with participation from Codie Sanchez, Mark Pincus, and others.

MIAMI, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BOB AI Holdings Corp. (“BOB”), the AI finance employee for small business, today announced it has raised $5.5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Mischief (founder of Plaid, Zak Perret), with funding from Peter Thiel and participation from Codie Sanchez, Mark Pincus, Karman Ventures, and a group of additional investors and operators. BOB will use the capital to expand its product, grow its team in Miami, and bring a free AI finance agent to more of the small business owners who keep the American economy running.

The seed round brings together investors who share a conviction that small businesses deserve the same caliber finance department g that large companies take for granted. Mischief led the round, and Peter Thiel joined as a backer alongside Codie Sanchez, the investor and operator known for championing Main Street business ownership.

The funding follows BOB’s private beta launch in September 2026 and will support three priorities: deepening the product’s financial capabilities, scaling customer onboarding, and growing BOB’s team in Miami.

BOB is an AI finance employee that works alongside small business owners to handle the annoying but necessary financial work that usually eats their nights and weekends. Owners talk to BOB the way they would talk to a trusted bookkeeper or CFO, over WhatsApp, text message, Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, or the BOB app. BOB keeps the books, sends invoices, accepts payments, holds funds in a deposit account, and helps owners see where their cash is headed so they can make decisions with confidence.

BOB’s long-term goal is to be the most useful banking product in the world, and a banking product specifically built for this new world of AI agents, robots, and drones. But they are getting started by building the most useful and safe financial agent for small business owners. And instead of handing owners another dashboard to learn, BOB just does the work for them and communicates in plain language.

BOB’s wedge has been particularly effective because the company is laser-focused on small business owners who have largely been underserved by the wave of financial technology built over the last five to ten years. Many of those products were designed for the general market or for enterprise finance teams, and they assume the owner has time, training, or staff to run them. BOB starts from the opposite assumption. The owner of a roofing company, a restaurant, or a local services firm should be able to get real financial help without hiring a department to get it.

“Small business owners have been an afterthought for most of the financial technology built over the last decade,” said Adam Wininger, CEO of BOB. “They are running the business, doing the work, and then staying up late trying to make sense of their books. We built BOB to take that work off their plate entirely. Our goal is simple: to be the most useful banking platform in the world, and this funding lets us put our free CFO agent, BOB, in the hands of many more owners.”

“We invest in infrastructure that becomes indispensable, and a financial layer for autonomous agents is one of the clearest examples we’ve seen,” said Dustin Moring, General Partner at Mischief. “BOB is attacking an immense market at the exact moment AI is moving from advising on transactions to executing them. We’re proud to lead this round and back Adam and the team as they build the foundation agent banking will run on.”

About BOB

BOB AI Holdings Corp. is a Miami-based company building BOB, the AI finance employee and banking platform for small business. BOB handles bookkeeping, invoicing, payments, and cash flow for small business owners through the channels they already use, including WhatsApp, text message, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. BOB’s mission is to build the world’s most useful banking product in the world. Learn more at joinbob.ai. Disclaimer: BOB AI Holdings Corp is a financial technology company, not a bank.

Media contact

Joel Strauss – joel@strausscomms.com

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SOURCE BOB AI Holdings Corp

Technology

Union Home Mortgage unveils AI and automation advancements during 2026 Annual Partner Celebration

Published

4 minutes ago

October 23, 2026

The mortgage lender continues to make major technology investments going into 2027

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Union Home Mortgage (UHM), a high-growth independent mortgage banking company with a world-class culture, recently unveiled an array of AI and automation-driven technological achievements during the company’s 2026 Annual Partner Celebration held Oct. 16-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. This world-class event brought over 850 UHM employees, known internally as Partners, together to highlight the lender’s year-to-date business results, set goals to multiply business success, and foster connection between colleagues. Most notably, technology took center stage, highlighting advancements made in 2026 and a sneak peek at what is coming next.

Attendees were given an inside look at the next phase of technology shaping the business, with demonstrations of both newly implemented tools and future-focused prototypes. These innovations, ranging from conversational voice agents for enhanced customer support to the elimination of tedious manual document review, showcased the transformative potential of technology and underscored the lender’s ongoing investment in smarter, more efficient workflows.

“What makes this event so meaningful is the chance to celebrate our Partners and the impact they have on our business and culture,” said Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage. “By creating opportunities for open dialogue and idea-sharing, we’re able to strengthen our culture and identify new ways to move our business forward. As we look ahead to 2027, we remain focused on our 3X initiative, empowering our Partners with the resources, technology, and support they need to achieve more while continuing to deliver a world-class experience for our borrowers. Technology will be the key to UHM’s future, and I can’t wait to see what new solutions are developed in time for our next Annual Partner Celebration.”

While this year’s Annual Partner Celebration was heavily focused on technology, the event also featured senior leadership across all departments and business channels taking the stage to share updates on critical areas such as sales performance, servicing, benefits, employee recognition, and more. UHM Partners also took part in a panel discussion and Q&A with CEO Bill Cosgrove and Sr. Vice President of Business Development Al Blank. In addition to those attending in-person, the rest of the mortgage lender’s 2,300 Partners streamed the event virtually across the country. Following the event, attendees were invited to attend a celebratory carnival featuring casino-style games, a golf simulator, Family Feud, a custom t-shirt press, and more – earning raffle tickets to win high-value prizes. The lender also raffled off tickets to the MLB American League Championship Series being played at Progressive Field, as Union Home Mortgage is the Official Mortgage Partner of both teams that played in the series – the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians.

Throughout the week, Partners also attended individualized leadership summits specific to their department or role within the company, as well as a Hard Stops Summit aimed at examining existing hard stops in the loan process to streamline operational efficiency.

Internal loan officer coaching program Partners Coaching Partners (PCP), which pairs each participating loan officer with a high-performing mentor and an accountability partner at their production level, also held their Fall PCP Impact event on October 14-15. The group aims to equip members with the skills and knowledge to increase productivity, generate leads, finetune the origination process, improve teambuilding, and increase profit margins. Next year, the PCP program will celebrate its twentieth consecutive PCP Impact event, cementing its status as a pillar of Partner development at UHM.

About Union Home Mortgage
Union Home Mortgage Corp. (UHM) is a high-growth, full-service retail, wholesale, and consumer direct independent mortgage banking company with branches across the U.S. in 49 states + D.C. UHM is an in-house loan servicer offering world-class customer service through high touch communication & technology. A privately held family business, with a collaborative culture that stands out in the mortgage industry, UHM Partners (employees) are guided by a Code of Conduct that emphasizes respect, open communication, and accountability. All these principles translate to industry-leading customer retention and satisfaction. Some honors include being a Six-Year USA TODAY Top Workplace and a Twelve-Year Northeast Ohio Top Workplace. Learn more at www.uhm.com.

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SOURCE Union Home Mortgage

Technology

Pew Funds 4 Biomedical Research Partnerships in Latin America

Published

4 minutes ago

October 23, 2026

Scientists will team up on interdisciplinary explorations

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today that four pairs of researchers from Latin America will receive funding to pursue collaborative biomedical research projects.

These eight esteemed scientists, all independent investigators in Latin America, will team up on interdisciplinary explorations that span plant biology, genetics, immunology, and more. Recipients will receive a combined $180,000 per pair—$90,000 annually over two years.

The Partnership Award was created to help advance scientific collaboration and networking among the biomedical research community in Latin America. Recipients include four alumni of Pew’s Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences, which has funded nearly 350 scientists from across the region since 1991. The Partnership awards were made possible by a grant from Biohub.

“Pew is proud to support these exceptional scientists from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew’s senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. “Their creative ideas and pioneering approaches will undoubtedly lead to important discoveries that advance biomedical research across Latin America and the world.”

Recipients of this year’s Partnership Award are:

Luis F. Larrondo, Ph.D., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2004 Pew Latin American Fellow

Gerardo Cárcamo-Oyarce, Ph.D., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Larrondo and Cárcamo-Oyarce will establish a new, light-based platform for studying the formation of biofilms by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Priscilla Olsen, Ph.D., Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), 2016 Pew Latin American Fellow

Beatriz Patricio, Ph.D., Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)

Olsen and Patricio will develop and test a new strategy to overcome antimicrobial drug resistance.

Paulo José P. L. Teixeira, Ph.D., Universidade de São Paulo, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, 2013 Pew Latin American Fellow

Antonio Camargo, Ph.D., Universidade de São Paulo

Teixeira and Camargo will examine plant immune receptor specificity.

Marcelo Yanovsky, Ph.D., Fundación Instituto Leloir – CONICET, 2000 Pew Latin American Fellow

Esteban Beckwith, Ph.D., Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina de Buenos Aires – CONICET – Partner Institute of the Max Plank Society

Yanovsky and Beckwith will study how organisms regulate gene expression in response to environmental stress.

Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress. Learn more at pew.org.

Press contact: Liz Lowe, 215-575-4812, elowe@pewtrusts.org

https://www.pew.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases-and-statements/2026/10/22/pew-funds-4-biomedical-research-partnerships-in-latin-america

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SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts