Ottawa has emerged as a true leader in health and life sciences, with close to 6,000 people employed and 130 companies active in the sector–plus world-class research facilities and institutes that support innovation, discovery, development and commercialization.
Five of Canada’s top hospital research institutes are located in the city, along with Canada’s National Research Council and no fewer than 35 Canada Research Chairs. Holistically, Ottawa’s life science landscape encompasses strong R&D capabilities and companies of every size with expertise in Health IT, mHealth, eHealth and Medical Devices.
Two major national life science Networks of Excellence are based in Ottawa:
- the Stem Cell Network, Canada’s premier research organization dedicated to enabling the transition of stem cell research into clinical applications, commercial products and public policy;
- Biotherapeutics for Cancer Treatment, a pan-Canadian network of expertise and infrastructure for the development, manufacture and clinical testing of personal biotherapeutics.
Other success stories include:
- Spartan has invented the world’s smallest DNA analyzer. The Spartan Cube can accurately self-diagnose a range of infections from strep throat to venereal diseases.
- Turnstone Biologics is developing a disruptive class of engineered viral immunotherapies, attacking cancer's complexity with medicines designed to fight tumors at multiple points of intervention, including simultaneous generation of targeted immune responses and modulation of the tumor environment.
- Ottawa’s Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory hub is a joint initiative of Ottawa’s Carleton University, the Bruyère Research Institute and AGE-WELL, a pan-Canadian network of public, private and academic groups working to harness artificial intelligence and big data, and eHealth, mobile and smart home technologies to help older Canadians maintain their independence, health and quality of life.
Ottawa’s ability to deliver a knowledge-based offering in addition to its business events infrastructure is expected to resonate with PCOs and buyers around the world. It is no surprise that Ottawa is becoming a specialist destination for health and life-sciences events, such as the Stem Cell Network Conference on November 2021, and the International Congress on Infant Studies on October 2023 that will host 1000 delegates.
To find out more about Health and Life Sciences in Ottawa, visit: Health and Life Sciences
