Ontarians support research involving biotechnology

Ontarians overwhelmingly value biotechnology’s contribution to their lives and the economy, BIOTECanada told Minister Milloy and an audience of over 150 business leaders at the launch of the sixth annual National Biotechnology Week. The results, part of an annual poll, conducted by Nanos Research, found Ontarians to be strong supporters of biotechnology and of government support to the industry:

• 58 per cent of Ontarians stated biotechnology was very important to Canada’s future economic prosperity, and 77 percent, above the national average, were concerned about our country’s global competitiveness in science and technology.
• 86 per cent strongly supported research involving biotechnology
• 88 per cent supported grants for research and product development from the federal government to emerging firms.

“These results show that for a sixth year in a row, Ontarians value the success of our biotechnology industry - and support government initiatives to aid the industry,” said Peter Brenders, President and CEO of BIOTECanada. “The biotechnology industry faces challenges of access to capital and market introduction of biotechnological health advances, so it is it is especially positive to hear Canadians voice support for government action.”

“The results exemplify the strong support we have always seen from the local community and business,” said Marilyn Sinclair, president and CEO of launch partner TechAlliance. “Whether for students or business leaders, understanding the synergies between traditional industries, and between high tech, health technologies and biotech is the first step to building a strong economy and we are extremely pleased to have the minister and our other elected officials here today to begin this dialogue.”

The launch event also featured a speech by Adam Bly, Canadian media and entrepreneur, Editor and Founder of Seed Magazine, who spoke to firms on the need to bridge science and culture to effectively communicate biotechnology’s value to the public.

The event officially launched the sixth annual National Biotechnology Week, during which the industry carries out a series of seminars, experiments, tours and events to showcase the value biotechnology brings to Canadians today, and its growing role in the knowledge economy of the future.

http://www.biotech.ca/en/default.aspx