A delegation from Atlantic Canada’s life sciences and biotech industry will next week attend the BIO International Convention, said to be the largest biotechnology conference in the world.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the office of Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston both issued statements announcing participation in the event in San Diego, California. The delegation will include 16 life sciences companies and research organizations from the region.
ACOA has provided a grant of $105,000 to the PEI BioAlliance to lead the regional delegation to the convention, which attracts more than 20,000 industry leaders from around the globe.
“This support creates meaningful opportunities for Atlantic Canadian bioscience companies to compete on a global stage,” said BioAlliance CEO Lauren Ledwell. “BIO is where relationships are built, partnerships are formed, and future growth takes shape. For a sector driven by innovation, international presence and connectivity are essential to expanding commercial opportunities and strengthening long-term competitiveness."
The regional companies are expected to take part in more than 175 one-on-one meetings with potential partners focused on export sales, investment and technology commercialization, said ACOA.
Houston will lead the Nova Scotian delegation, which will include seven companies from the province. Last year, he attended the convention in Boston.
Nova Scotia is home to world-class research institutions and more than 120 dynamic life sciences companies, Houston’s statement said. There are around 400 active clinical trials in the province at any given time. More than 2,000 people are directly employed in the sector, and it generates an estimated $200 million in gross domestic product.
Mission delegates from Nova Scotia include: Karen Oldfield, interim President and CEO of Nova Scotia Health; Doris Grant, CEO of Life Sciences Nova Scotia, and Managing Director of the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub; and other staff from the innovation hub.
