FEATURES

• National Biotechnology Week – Coming to a Community near you
  
• Saskatchewan Investment Forum Discusses Flow-through Shares
  
• Bio-economy Partnership Keeps Growing
  

• AAFC Bioproducts Strategy Consultation  (visit the members' only section)
• BIOTECanada Members Prioritize Top Changes to CDR  (visit the members' only section)
• GERA Progress Report and Status Update  (visit the members' only section)
• BIOTECanada Participates in New Brunswick's Consultation on Drug Pricing Policy  (visit the members' only section)
  
  

• Tech Transfer Summit North America -  3-4 October 2011 - Bethesda, Maryland
  

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FEATURES

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National Biotechnology Week - Coming to a Community near you

National Biotechnology Week will kick off this year on Friday September 16 at the grand opening of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatoon. The International Vaccine Centre is Canada’s newest lab for protecting animals and humans against emerging infectious diseases. When doors officially open in September, the new $140 million InterVac facility will be Canada’s largest containment level 3 agricultural facility and the most advanced of its kind in the world.

National Biotechnology Week partners help BIOTECanada and the national organizers put on a week, which excites, engages and educates Canadians about the power – and the promise – of biotechnology. With thousands of participants each year and growing, National Biotechnology Week is a premier opportunity to raise the profile of your firm or organization, and your technology with the audiences who matter. You can host an event, team up with organizers of an existing event or activity already on our calendar, showcase your science and technology with an open house in your community, encourage your science and technology professionals to make presentations at local schools, libraries or community centers. Any event with a focus on biotechnology or the life sciences, and that educates and interests Canadians is a valuable part of the week, so become a partner and make your event a part of National Biotechnology Week 2011 from September 16 - 23. Cross-promotion of events is a valuable way to increase awareness.

Contact us today for a web button where you can show your support, link to imagenenation.ca and help us spread the word. National Biotechnology Week is your chance to collaborate, enlarge your network, and build your brand by showing your commitment to building public understanding of the science – and business – of biotechnology.


The arrival of a majority government offers the association the opportunity for long-term planning and engagement on strategic initiatives as we seek to secure our policy goals. We will be able to focus attention on key political leaders throughout the government caucus as they settle into their respective roles and establish champions able and willing to engage on issues on our behalf.  This level of stability will be a refreshing environment for all stakeholders. There will be a reception in Ottawa on Monday September 19 for our member CEOs. Our lobby day activities will take place on Tuesday September 20. With the number of new MPs we will be using this opportunity to showcase an overview of biotech excellence, from this briefing we will break into one on one meetings between our member CEOs, federal MPs and government officials. We are looking forward to your participation. Please contact cate.mccready@biotech.ca with any questions.

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Saskatchewan Investment Forum Discusses Flow-through Shares 

Organized by the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) and Ag-West Bio, BIOTECanada was invited to discuss the merits of expanding the flow-through shares tax incentive to Canada’s bio-economy at an investment forum held on Monday, July 18th. The forum, held via video conference, was organized to assess the capital formation problem in Canada’s technology space and examine two potential solutions to the capital formation problem: angel tax credits and flow-through shares.

The investment forum included the participation of five broad sector groups: investment management and consulting, biotechnology, information and communications technology, academia, and government. Overall, the forum was a valuable event to share insight into the capital formation problems from a variety of perspectives. As a primary action item, SREDA is looking to put together a steering committee to drive the capital formation initiative. If you have any questions about BIOTECanada’s participation in the investment forum, please contact Gibril Muddei.

BIOTECanada is a founding member of a new economic voice featuring colleagues from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, CropLife Canada, Forest Products Association of Canada, and the Sustainable Chemistry Alliance. This New Economy Alliance table will be working in the coming months to set a strategic public policy plan aimed at capturing the added value dynamics of traditional industries. Technological transition is well underway amongst these partners, catalyzed in large part by the ever-increasing knowledge base offered by biotechnology discovery and development. This new partnership allows BIOTECanada to keep expanding its voice and engagement in showcasing the impact of our technology as an economic driver today and for the future.

The New Economy Alliance recently called on federal, provincial and territorial governments to develop a comprehensive energy strategy as government ministers convened for their annual meeting earlier in July, building on Canada’s global advantage in agriculture, oil and gas, mineral and forest resources. The Alliance is for the first time bringing together leaders in the areas of renewable fuels and biotechnology to promote innovation in new technologies, which would add value to Canada’s vast natural resources. Producing these new bio-fuels, bio-chemicals, and bio-materials would maintain and create jobs, generate economic growth, enhance Canada’s competitiveness and be environmentally beneficial.

The New Economy Alliance will be working with governments to advance the bio-economy across the agriculture, forestry, chemical, manufacturing and energy sectors. Integrating new bio-processing technologies within established industrial plants will deliver a vast array of renewable, value-added alternatives, such as solvents, plastics, paints, adhesives, insulation, textiles, and consumer products.

We will update you on the work of the Alliance as we move into this joint effort. View the recent press release here

Please contact cate.mccready@biotech.ca with any questions or recommendations you have to offer to this initiative.

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NEW MEMBERS

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BIOTECanada is pleased to welcome our newest member companies to our community:

MonoSpecific Sciences Inc. has develop a new class of Therapeutic Antibodies using its proprietary and proven clonal antibody development and production process which results in an unprecedented level of precision for binding therapeutic targets (affinity and avidity). The technology is based on a new in vitro cloning approach, developed over many years by the founders of the company. Based on the success of this proprietary process in the development of  monospecific clonal antibodies for the international diagnostic market, Monospecific Sciences is now expanding its focus to include therapeutic applications which often fail because antibody specificity is not sufficient. Monospecific Sciences is seeking partnerships to assist with the development of  humanized versions of these remarkably potent Monospecific clonal antibodies for therapeutic applications . monospecificsciences.com

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MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES

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National Post Feature

Opportunity to support Advancements in Biotechnology to be published in September. Read more about how to get involved. Last year's edition can be found here

SDTC Announces Latest Funding Round for Clean Technology

SDTC’s SD Tech Fund™ is accepting Statements of Interest from August 31st to October 19th, 2011
 
The SD Tech Fund™ invests in late-stage development and pre-commercial demonstration of clean technologies by Canadian companies in a range of innovative solutions across all industries that address Climate Change, Clean Air, Water and Soil.
 
Talk to  – sdtc.ca/applications or visit - sdtc.ca/workshops

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POLICY & COMMITTEE WATCH – Building the bio-economy

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AAFC Bioproducts Strategy Consultation

On July 7th, 2011, Mejda Lortie and Lynn Buchanan attended the AAFC Bioproducts Strategy Consultation with Regional Development Agencies, held in Ottawa. As a deliverable under Growing Forward, AAFC was tasked with the development of a bioeconomy strategy for agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products.  The focus of the strategy and its ultimate implementation under Growing Forward II (GF2) has been narrowed from the bioeconomy as a whole to a more defined area of bio-industrial products.

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BIOTECanada Members Prioritize Top Changes to CDR

In May 2011, BIOTECanada and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) held a Presidents/Board Chairs meeting to discuss a variety of topics in relation to the common drug review (CDR) and the broader operational environment for Canada’s biopharmaceutical industry.

READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page

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GERA Progress Report and Status Update

On July 12 and 13, 2011 the Industry-HPFB Group on Electronic Regulatory Activities (GERA) held a two day meeting to discuss the progress of the Health Product and Food Branch (HPFB) Information Technology (IT) modernization strategy.  Last October (2010) the GERA delivered to the HPFB a white paper outlining the critical need for the following projects: Secure two-way electronic communication; Electronic signatures; Process and operational requirements; Structured documents and forms.

READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page

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COST SAVING SOLUTION OF THE MONTH

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