How BC’s Life Sciences Strategy Can Build a Thriving Innovation Ecosystem

When I became British Columbia’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, it was clear that our province had a growing life sciences cluster comprised of world-class talent and universities, ecosystem-building organizations, and a diverse grouping of companies. This growing ecosystem continues to draw global attention to the Province’s groundbreaking scientific research and exciting discoveries, leading to significant medical innovations with wide-ranging benefits for society.

Work was underway within the sector with organizations like Life Sciences BC, our post-secondary institutions, and established life sciences companies working together to develop and expand the sector. To optimize the growth and corresponding benefits the life sciences sector presents, BC knew it had to be more focused on how the government could work collaboratively with the ecosystem to build on the momentum and provide supports to maximize opportunities and strengthen BC’s global reputation as a life sciences powerhouse while continuing to build the knowledge economy in British Columbia.

The Launch of BC’s Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy

Working closely with the life sciences ecosystem in 2023, BC launched the province’s first Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy, which provided clear priorities and a high degree of certainty to the market about where BC is headed. To ensure there was strong alignment, the Province engaged extensively with the life sciences sector to determine BC’s comparative advantages—and how best to address the pain points and biggest barriers to discovery and expansion. There was general agreement that while BC has an incredibly entrepreneurial sector founded on strong, innovative research and talent development, there were challenges hindering the industry’s progress and growth. Skills shortages, a lack of wet lab space, the need to expand clinical trials capacity, and a shortage of anchor companies were all limiting the growth potential and economic and public good contributions of BC’s emerging small- and medium-sized companies.

Addressing Skills Shortages in BC’s Life Sciences Sector

What has been achieved in BC since launching the strategy is impressive—and represents the foundational steps taken to continue to grow a thriving ecosystem that attracts and retains world-leading companies, researchers, and investment.

British Columbia is home to many outstanding post-secondary institutions producing world-class talent that leads to the creation of startup companies that build our province’s growing knowledge economy. In the past, many of our science graduates would leave BC to work in other markets, which was such a loss for the local life sciences ecosystem. What we’re seeing now are scientists coming out of BC’s post-secondary institutions and walking directly into incredible opportunities right here at home so they can build their lives and careers here. Part of my work as Minister is to attract the best people available to work with our rapidly expanding local life sciences companies, and that includes encouraging BC-trained talent that left for market opportunities in other jurisdictions like Germany, California, and Ireland to come back and be part of our growing knowledge economy.

Another example of how BC is addressing the skills shortage includes creating, with PacifiCan (the federal regional economic development agency), a new, first-of-its-kind in BC Biomanufacturing Training Facility at the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) Richmond campus. BCIT will partner with the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) to deliver an industry-informed biopharmaceutical manufacturing training curriculum for the next generation of operators. The BC government is also adding 3,000 new post-secondary seats in high-demand technology areas, including life sciences, data scientists, agritech, and more.

Wet Labs and Clinical Trials

To test their groundbreaking discoveries, biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies need very specific types of facilities adapted to handling chemicals and contaminants in a safe manner. Wet labs are at the heart of such facilities; this is where research, development, and discoveries occur, where part of the production happens, and where quality assurance manipulations are conducted. In June, BC celebrated a key milestone with the announcement of adMare BioInnovations’ location of their new wet laboratory facility in Vancouver. This expansion of operations at adMare is expected to provide more than 20 early-stage biotech companies with access to turnkey-ready wet labs and cutting-edge equipment. BC is also contributing to wet lab development in Victoria with Vancouver Island Life Sciences.

BC is investing in a new clinical trials unit for Phase 1 clinical trials in Vancouver that will give significant opportunities for the Province’s life sciences companies to keep their teams and intellectual property here at home and to become a leading destination for clinical trials. Successful clinical trials will also lead to new business agreements with pharma companies that will better position local companies to commercialize new, life-changing drugs and treatments for people in BC and around the world.

The Importance of Anchor Companies in BC’s Life Sciences Strategy

Anchor companies are another key piece of BC’s strategy. As they set their roots in the province, they support a robust ecosystem of small and medium-sized local companies and often create strong relationships with post-secondary institutions that vitalize the sector through research partnerships and educating the next generation of talent. Anchor companies generate high-paying jobs and opportunities for people to move around within the sector, as well as draw international talent that wants to be part of the BC cluster. These businesses can also connect the local life sciences industry to the global market, creating a rich flow of goods, services, and ideas.

Under the strategy, our immediate focus has been accelerating the growth of BC businesses and turning them into anchor companies. We started with STEMCELL Technologies, which provides high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, and educational resources to scientists around the world working on stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research. Recently, we announced the opening of STEMCELL Technologies’ state-of-the-art facility in Burnaby, British Columbia, which has been supported through a $22.5 million investment by the Government of Canada, matched by the Government of British Columbia. With the completion of this project, STEMCELL Technologies created more than 1,000 new full-time jobs in BC.

Next was AbCellera, another home-grown success story for BC; fifteen years ago, it was Carl Hansen working in a lab at the University of British Columbia. Years later, the company was valued at $7.6 billion and now has more than 500 employees. This is why our government is contributing up to $75 million for AbCellera’s $701 million expansion in Vancouver. This commitment represents BC’s largest single private investment in a life sciences project in the province’s history. The project will see the company build a state-of-the-art biotechnology campus that will include a new preclinical development facility, the creation of more than 400 highly skilled jobs, and new training opportunities for people in this rapidly growing field.

We’ve similarly followed up with a nearly $200 million partnership between Vancouver-based Aspect Biosystems and the governments of BC and Canada, which will create more than 200 jobs and advance the development of cutting-edge bioprinted tissue therapeutics to transform the treatment of disease for people in BC and around the globe. If you or someone you love is living with diabetes, you’ll be thrilled to hear this brilliant team is working on a solution to create synthetic tissue that would mean people would never have to have an injection. This kind of innovation changes lives for people in BC, Canada, and globally. Their CEO and founder has publicly stated his intention for Aspect to remain in Vancouver and contribute to the local life sciences ecosystem, and that is a powerful commitment that is going to change the face of medicine and support the local economy.

Together, STEMCELL, AbCellera, and Aspect Biosystems are the homegrown anchors for BC’s life sciences ecosystem, contributing to a strong community of professionals ready to drive innovation forward in the province. With these success stories in place, and others to come, BC’s cluster is now well-positioned to attract other major companies and investments, all of which grows our ecosystem and provides even more great jobs for British Columbians, opportunities for new companies to start and grow, and new avenues for additional exploration.

Advancing Precision Medicine and Healthcare Solutions in BC

Creating a healthy and thriving life sciences ecosystem in BC goes so much further than just growing the local knowledge economy and creating good jobs for people. The type of precision medicine BC-based life sciences companies are working on right now is generating very targeted and personalized solutions at the cellular level, creating potential solutions for people living with cancer and other illnesses.

With a growing and aging population, the cost of healthcare has been rising and we’re in a crisis in terms of a shortage of healthcare professionals. Technology is a really powerful tool that can democratize healthcare and ease some of the stress the system is facing. For instance, through BC’s Integrated Marketplace, project teams will help reshape how pathology services are delivered throughout the province. Teams of researchers will explore the ability to securely share high-quality images across a common platform for pathologists in other locations to offer more rapid diagnostic services and secondary consultations. Results from the projects will be used to inform future investment in an integrated digital pathology system, creating more equitable access to pathology services for communities across the province.

The Future of Life Sciences in British Columbia

This is just the beginning. We are continuing to create opportunities for life sciences companies to set down their roots to grow here while also making sure BC talent is ready to seize these incredible opportunities. My children are in their 30s now, but if I were talking to my teenage kids about career opportunities in BC, I’d encourage them to look at the life sciences sector. There are multiple ways to get involved that can resonate with your existing skill set. You can be an accountant or a project manager, work in marketing and communications, business management, real estate, and so much more. I think you can build an extraordinary, lucrative, successful career here that also contributes to saving lives and helping people.

As the Minister responsible for the growth and development of BC’s life sciences cluster, I’m incredibly proud of what’s going on in the rapidly accelerating life sciences sector here. The way industry and the research community come together to celebrate every success and milestone is tremendous and speaks to the tightly knit, collaborative community developing in our province. I look forward to continuing to work with the sector and seeing it truly flourish.