Annual Biotech Week Returns to London

From September 22 to 26, 2008, TechAlliance and its partners will host London Biotech Week, the regional component of National Biotechnology Week.

National Biotechnology Week is held annually in over 15 regions across the country and is coordinated by BIOTECanada as well as local host organizations. National Biotechnology Week events take place throughout Canadian cities, with larger advocacy initiatives at the provincial and national level.

London Biotech Week is a community-wide initiative designed to support outreach, collaboration and awareness of the city's thriving biotech sector.

"London is a major player in the field of biotechnology," says Marilyn Sinclair, President and CEO of TechAlliance. "With local companies such as Viron Therapeutics, Sernova, and COTI, institutions such as Lawson Health Research Institute, and our post-secondary schools Fanshawe and Western, London exemplifies the opportunities for growth and success in biotechnology."

Leading the week's events is the invitation-only Launchpad: London Biotech Week Kick-Off with keynote speaker Dr. Michael Strong, director of the Lifecycle Research Network. Dr. Strong's presentation is centered on the Lifecycle Research Network, an integrated healthcare network that drives area clinical research forward.

The following day, on September 24, all supporters are invited to attend Accelerate London, a free business seminar directed towards technology entrepreneurs and executives. The topic of this particular session is three funding and support programs designed to help Ontario technology companies grow and prosper: the Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF) delivered by Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Business Mentorship and Entrepreneurship Program (BMEP) offered by MaRS, and ACCELERATE Ontario - a new Ontario Graduate Research Internship Program from MITACS, a national research network that connects Canadian researchers with companies and other organizations to solve key business and social challenges.

Additionally, the popular event for senior elementary students, the BIOlympics, takes place September 25. This initiative has doubled in size since its inception and this year has expanded yet again so that six additional school teams can participate and compete against one another in fun biotech-related challenges. Student teams are led by prominent community members such as Police Chief Murray Faulkner, Controllers Gina Barber and Gordon Hume, and Dr. David Hill, scientific director for Lawson Health Research Institute.

The BIOlympics will be immediately followed by a Community Celebration & BBQ at Centennial Hall where the community can come together to celebrate the success and potential of London's biotech industry. The cost of this lunchtime event is $5 per person.

Also included in the London Biotech Week line-up is a Biotechnology Awareness Campaign for all secondary schools within the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board. This campaign provides science teachers with a roster of industry professionals available to act as guest speakers, with the goal of encouraging innovation and imagination among the community's future biotechnology leaders. "Awareness campaigns such as these help to bridge the gap between educators, students and business," says Allison Fisher, TechAlliance Educational Outreach Liaison. "Our goal with these types of initiatives is to add further value to the educational and job-related guidance being provided to our students by liaising them with local professionals who are able to address the advantages and garner interest in pursuing careers in relevant sectors."

The 2008 London Biotech Week event list includes:


Registration for London Biotech Week events is available online at www.techalliance.ca.