Biotech & Life Sciences

The Waterloo Region is well-positioned to experience further growth of the life sciences sector. The sector has recorded significant local investment in recent years (biotechnology, medical, environmental sciences). New medical and biological technologies research institutes have been established. The competitive advantage for the sector in the Waterloo Region is close proximity to the U.S. market, the presence of leading-edge research facilities, an educated local workforce, and generous R&D tax credits.

The stakeholders

Areas of strength include: bioinformatics, bio-products, health informatics, informatics applications, pharmaceutical and medical applications, alternative clean energy and fuels, agricultural biotechnology, physical engineering and pure research. Waterloo Region is also home to the Regional Innovation Network for Public Health, located in the Waterloo Research + Technology Park. Region is home to the Guelph-Waterloo Biotechnology Cluster, a consortium comprising government, academic and industry.

The life sciences sector in Ontario includes the following sub-sectors:

Bio-medical
Labour force: 33,000
Annual revenue: $1.3 billion

• The Ontario biotechnology sector is built on world-class science. Canada is a world leader in molecular biology and medical genetics and has an excellent infrastructure for conducting clinical trials.

Pharmaceutical
Labour force: 15,000
Annual revenue: $6 billion

• Ontario's pharmaceutical sector employs more than 15,000 and includes GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen, Biogen, Genzyme, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and home-grown companies including Biovail Corporation, Apotex, and Patheon.

Medical Devices
Labour force: 19,000
Annual revenue: $2 billion

• 500 manufacturing companies ranging from subsidiaries of global leaders like GE Medical Systems and Johnson & Johnson Medical Products to niche-driven domestic companies like World Heart Corporation, SciCan, Labtician, CME Telemetrix, IMI International Medical Innovations.

Agricultural Biotech
Labour force: 6,000
Annual expenditure: $170 million

• Ontario ranks in the top three jurisdictions in North America in terms of workforce and R&D expenditures in the agricultural-biotechnology sector.

Canada leads the world in biotechnology firms per capita, with Ontario home to more than half the country's brand-name pharmaceutical and medical devices industries, and almost half the medical biotechnology industry. Ontario has North America's 3rd largest regional concentration of biotechnology firms and is 6th largest in revenues earned.

Research and Development

There is significant Life Science R&D activity in the Waterloo Region: University of Waterloo Institute for Biotechnology and Molecular Biology; the Biotechnology Research Centre; Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology; Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research; and the Centre for Applied Health Research at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU).

The University of Waterloo spends 1/5 of its R & D budget on biotechnology.

Resource Documents

Description	Download
Waterloo Region/Guelph Life Sciences Cluster Profile
Ontario's Life Sciences Industry