Life Sciences in Ottawa – Canada’s Innovation Capital

As Canada’s capital, Ottawa boasts the sophistication, stature and amenities of an international business and technology centre complemented with a reputation for innovation and education. Connected globally through its business and government centres, diplomatic core and extensive international trade links, Ottawa is home to a breadth of information technology, life science and cleantech companies, a thriving R&D community, and some of the world’s leading service providers. Many of Canada’s federal agencies such as the National Research Council of Canada, Health Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Heath Agency of Canada as well as two world-class universities – affiliated with research hospitals – and two colleges can also be found in Ottawa.

The Ottawa and eastern Ontario life science sector includes incubation and startup support, robust technology transfer programs, state-of-the-art research, abundant talent, and access to all of Canada’s life science regulatory agencies. The combined effect of these assets is to provide both established and emerging companies with access to some of the best resources to grow business.

Life Sciences - General Overview (427 KB)

In order to provide industry-led strategic support to the cluster, a new Ottawa Life Sciences Cluster Executive was formed in March 2011. The Cluster Executive is an independent group driven by the life sciences ecosystem in Ottawa that works with OCRI to provide cluster-driven leadership in the identification, development and execution of initiatives in support of cluster development.

The members of the 2011/2012 Ottawa Life Sciences Cluster Executive are:

• Co-chair: Sean Tomalty, Plant Director, Abbott Point of Care
• Co-chair: Steve West, CEO, Nordion Inc.
• Ian Curry, President and CEO, DNA Genotek
• Mike Darch, Managing Director, Global Marketing, OCRI
• Stephen Fanjoy, President, Stephen Fanjoy Management Consulting
• Jeff Smith, President, Allphase Clinical Research
• Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Vice President of Research, The Ottawa Hospital, The Evelyne & Rowell Laishley Chair, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa
• Giovanni Vatieri, National Health Practice Leader and Partner, Global Business Services, IBM
• Coordination: Karen Robb, Manager, Life Sciences, OCRI

Ottawa Life Sciences Cluster vision: “To make Ottawa increasingly recognized as a leader in life sciences and health innovation and commercialization”

Ottawa Life Sciences key objectives:
Clearly define, promote, and grow the strengths of the Ottawa Life Sciences Cluster
Strengthen the value proposition and brand of the Ottawa Life Sciences Cluster
Capitalize on existing life sciences and health research strengths by enabling collaborations with industry to promote commercialization
Build a scorecard to track and rate Ottawa's progress from bench to commercialization in life sciences and health