At the halfway point, continuing to build together
Dear members
As the first half of the year draws to a close, the pace of BIOQuébec's activities remains steady and intense. The past few weeks have been particularly rich in meetings, performances and active collaborations, both here and abroad.
The mission to BioNJ on May 12 and 13 enabled a delegation of Quebec companies to forge new links and position local expertise in a rapidly changing North American context. The networking opportunities created and the relationships forged during these exchanges confirm the relevance of our commitment in the field, and reinforce our determination to maintain an active presence in the United States.
BIOQuébec also took part in the Life Sciences Ontario Annual Gala on May 14 in Toronto, an event that provided an opportunity to pursue concrete exchanges with our Canadian partners. A few days later, on May 29, at the WebSummit conference in Vancouver, we proudly announced a new collaboration agreement with Life Sciences BC, which will strengthen interprovincial ties and pave the way for useful joint actions for our industry as a whole.
As an extension of these efforts, we took part in the BIO 2025 conference in Boston, a key industry event. This event enabled us to raise the profile of our companies and organizations, establish new collaborations and promote our priorities to a wide range of relevant global players. We also announced an agreement with Bioscience Association Manitoba, as part of our drive to strengthen links between the life sciences communities across Canada.
At the same time, we are pursuing our efforts to strengthen the foundations of our ecosystem right here in Quebec: targeted interventions on the new tax credit for research, innovation and commercialization (CRIC), continued efforts to maximize the spin-offs of SQSV 3.0, insistence on better adapting government programs and orientations to the reality of our industry, and constant vigilance with regard to the upheavals coming out of the United States, so as to actively contribute to efforts aimed at mitigating their negative impacts and maximizing the positive spin-offs.
The month of May was a busy one, with over thirty associative meetings held with partners, collaborators and other ecosystem players, some fifteen events organized or co-hosted by the team, as well as several interventions, content productions and CeSAM meetings.
Our Annual General Meeting 2024 also marked an important moment in our calendar. We were honoured to welcome Mr. Jean Charest as guest speaker, whose speech offered clear and concrete ways to better defend our industry in these challenging times. It was also an opportunity to welcome two new directors to the BIOQuébec governance team. Finally, our most recent BIOPolitique meeting provided an opportunity for direct dialogue with Assistant Deputy Ministers Aubé and Kobrynsky, illustrating the working relationship we continue to maintain with government representatives.
This mid-year review shows just how active and committed our companies and organizations are on many fronts. Thanks to you, our voice is being heard, our network is growing and our collective efforts are bearing fruit.
Thank you for your confidence, and we look forward to seeing you at future events.
Benoît Larose
President and CEO
Please note the newsletter is in French only.
