Ontario has taken a proactive approach to biotechnology in the past 10 years

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Ontario has taken a proactive approach to biotechnology in the past 10 years. In 1998 the province assembled a community-based Ontario Biotechnology Task Force to outline what was needed to generate a vibrant biotechnology industry in Ontario. One of the first responses to the task force’s recommendations was the creation of the Biotechnology Commercialization Centre Fund in 1999. This fund established incubation centres in Ottawa, London and Toronto to spawn new companies emerging from Ontario's research institutes.

Some of Ontario's milestones in the past 10 years have included the Ontario Cancer Research Network, established in 2000. The network was developed to bring new treatments to patients sooner, including the creation of the Ontario Cancer Clinical Trials Network, Ontario Cancer Tumour Bank Network, Clinical Trials Information System, Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board and the Ontario Cancer Biomarker Network. In 2001, Ontario provided funding to support the operation of the Ontario Genomics Institute, one of six genome centres across Canada established by the federal government. In the year 2002, Ontario announced funding for the creation of Biotechnology Cluster Innovation Networks – now Regional Innovation Networks (RINs) – across Ontario.

Ontario has also supported the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) since 1987, an organization that builds connections between academia and industry to move technologies into the marketplace. OCE has had a number of successes in the biotech area. The province supported the creation of the Health Technology Exchange in 2004 in order to accelerate the development of the medical and assistive technologies cluster in Ontario. MaRS has of course played a huge part in Ontario, where science, business and capital thrive under one roof. And, each year between 1994 to 2004, Ontario biomedical exports grew by 18%.

In 2005 the McGuinty government established the Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI). The government is investing $1.7 billion to support research, commercialization and outreach programs.
"In 2005-06, the Ministry of Research and Innovation supported $365 million in research in Ontario. At least 50% of this investment, over $183 million, was invested in life sciences research," said Dr. Walter Kushnir, manager, Life Sciences and Health Technologies, Ministry of Research and Innovation.

"Life sciences generate more than $11 billion in annual revenues in this province, while employing 40,000 people in more than 800 companies," said Kushnir.

Biotech specifically employs more than 5,200 people in Ontario, generating $2.7 billion in revenues. According to Statistic Canada, Ontario's biotech industry generates 66% of Canada’s biotech revenues, employs 38% of Canada’s biotech workforce and performs 38% of Canada's biotech R&D as measured by total R&D investment.