The Atlantic Canada Bio-Industries Alliance will lead a delegation of bioscience-based companies and organizations to San Diego, California, to attend an international conference, with help from the federal and provincial governments under the Canada/Atlantic Provinces Agreement on International Business Development (IBDA). The BIO 2008 International Conference, being held June 17-20, 2008, is the largest annual meeting and exhibition for the biotechnology industry in the world.
“Our Government’s support of this mission demonstrates our commitment to the development of Atlantic Canada’s bioscience industry on the global stage,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). “This conference presents a unique opportunity to raise the international profile of Atlantic Canada’s growing industry by highlighting its contributions to biotechnology innovation.”
“The Government of Prince Edward Island’s new prosperity plan identifies BioScience as a priority sector,” said the Honorable Richard Brown, PEI’s Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. “Participating in international conferences such as BIO 2008 will further advance Prince Edward Island’s reputation as a leading location for BioScience businesses. This event will also allow local companies to explore commercialization and export opportunities.”
“Atlantic Canada plays a significant role within Canada’s biotechnology presence at BIO each year,” said Rory Francis, Executive Director of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance. “The conference enables our region’s companies to showcase groundbreaking technologies to over 20,000 attendees and also helps our entrepreneurs gain access to other research and commercialization opportunities, including exposure to venture capital resources to fuel early-stage development.”
The Atlantic Canada delegation will participate in one-on-one business meetings and attend the official opening of the Canadian Pavilion, with the Honourable Tony Clement, federal Minister of Health, as guest speaker. The Atlantic Canada Bio-Industries Alliance will host an Atlantic Canada reception for invited international guests to meet the delegation from this region.
One of the participating companies has been chosen to make a presentation to the BIOBusiness Forum. Dr. Randal Chase, president and CEO of Nova Scotia-based ImmunoVaccine Technologies Inc. will speak on the commercialization and licensing potential of its patented vaccine platforms, VacciMax® and DepoVax. The market opportunities for ImmunoVaccine Technologies are broad, offering breakthroughs ranging from therapeutic cancer applications to infectious disease vaccines.
A total of $103,000 in financial assistance for the delegation’s participation in the BIO 2008 International conference is provided through the IBDA. The IBDA is a federal/provincial agreement between the Government of Canada (ACOA, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and Industry Canada) and the four provincial governments in Atlantic Canada, and is designed to help Atlantic Canadian businesses enter, explore and succeed in international markets. The IBDA is the leading component of a pan-Atlantic effort to foster business relations, to attract foreign investment and to nurture technological co-operation.
EXHIBITORS - ATLANTIC CANADA PAVILION
BIO 2008, San Diego, CA June 17 - 20, 2008
Companies and organizations participating in BIO 2008 include:
New Brunswick - BioAtlantech (Fredericton)
Newfoundland and Labrador - New Lab Clinical Research (St. John’s), Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries (St. John’s)
Nova Scotia - BioNova (Halifax), ImmunoVaccine Technologies Inc. (Halifax), Progress Research & Development (Halifax)
Prince Edward Island - AquaBounty Technologies (Souris), Atlantic Veterinary College (Charlottetown), BioVectra Inc. (Charlottetown), Chemaphor (Charlottetown), Neurodyn Inc. (Charlottetown) and Prince Edward Island BioAlliance (Charlottetown)