CANADA, June 13 - B.C. will lead a delegation of companies to the BIO International Convention in Boston, Mass., to attract more investment to the province’s life-sciences sector and build relationships with other countries to help strengthen the economy against ongoing U.S. tariffs.
Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, will be at the conference June 15-19, 2025.
BIO is the largest and most comprehensive international event for biotechnology, bringing 20,000 industry leaders together from across the globe. The ministry will showcase B.C.’s award-winning Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy to international delegates. The strategy builds on the momentum of the rapidly expanding sector and supports businesses to more easily commercialize their innovations.
“We want attendees at BIO to know that B.C. is open for business and we are ready to welcome new investors and talent to join our growing life-sciences, health-care and technology sectors,” Gibson said. “With our competitive advantages, our talented people, world-class universities, and rich startup and scale-up ecosystem, B.C.’s life-sciences and biomanufacturing sector is growing faster than anywhere else in the country.”
Gibson will highlight B.C.’s life-sciences sector as a global leader in innovative discoveries and world-leading products and services. Meetings are set with potential investors, venture-capital and other business partners to explore opportunities and foster critical relationships.
“British Columbia’s life-sciences sector is an innovation powerhouse with world-class research, top-tier talent and a dynamic startup ecosystem,” said Wendy Hurlburt, president and CEO, Life Sciences BC. “As global investors and strategic partners seek impactful, breakthrough technologies, B.C. is at the forefront, offering exceptional opportunities to shape the future of health. At BIO 2025, Life Sciences BC and our delegation of almost 40 companies is inviting the world to discover why British Columbia is the place where the future of life sciences is being built.”
Life Sciences B.C. will host its opening reception, which is one of the main go-to Canadian events at the conference with more than 200 attendees and approximately half being international audiences. B.C. delegates will promote common goals and their Team B.C. approach at the convention.
“British Columbia is home to exceptional scientific talent and a life-sciences sector with real, growing momentum,” said Kenneth Galbraith, chair and chief executive officer of Zymeworks. “At Zymeworks, we’ve grown from our roots in Vancouver to a global company that is partnering with some of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical organizations to advance novel therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers. Our experience and expertise reflect the strength of British Columbia’s innovation ecosystem and its ability to support companies as they scale to make a real impact for patients in need.”
Key discussions will include international talent mobility and workforce development, technology commercialization, strengthening collaboration between post-secondary institutions, expanding research and innovation partnerships in priority sectors, such as artificial intelligence and health tech, and highlighting B.C.’s strength as a clean-tech hub.
B.C. continues to make record investments in its world-renowned research centres to support their discoveries and innovations. To date, government has invested more than $737 million and leveraged more than $1.2 billion in federal funding and private investment to expand the life-sciences sector.
As Canada’s gateway to the Pacific, British Columbia is ideally located for easy and cost-effective international commerce, with a business day that conveniently overlaps with afternoon working hours in Europe, the morning in Asia and is synchronized for the full day with California and Washington state.
Learn More:
To learn more about the advantages of doing business in British Columbia, visit: https://www.britishcolumbia.ca
For information about B.C.’s Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/technology-innovation/life-sciences-biomanufacturing
For more information about the BIO International Convention, visit: https://www.bio.org/events/bio-international-convention
A backgrounder follows.
