Action Plan for the Life Sciences Cluster

Life sciences has been defined as “The application of Science and Technology to living organisms as well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or non-living materials for the production of knowledge, goods and services”. Under this definition, the life sciences cluster encompasses a wide range of research and industry activities related to pharmaceuticals and medical biotechnology, medical devices, health informatics, functional foods and nutraceuticals, agricultural biotechnology, environmental biotechnology and bioremediation, industrial bioproducts, biofuels, bioenergy, biomaterials, biochemicals, and connected biotechnology services such as genomics and bioprospecting.

Our life science cluster in British Columbia is well positioned for further growth. Recent research has confirmed tremendous opportunities for development but also identified some specific challenges. Meeting these challenges will require a coordinated approach. Towards that end, representatives of the various sectors and stakeholder groups are coming together to prepare a detailed action plan for the life sciences cluster.

The action plan for the life sciences cluster in British Columbia will define:

1. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with the cluster and, reflecting the results, identifies the key issues to be addressed. These key issues may relate to topics such as research & development, technology transfer including commercialization, market development, human resources, the regulatory environment, access to capital, infrastructure, and culture.
2. The strategies that need to be implemented to address the key issues.
3. Specific actions and initiatives to be undertaken to proomote further development. . The action plan will define responsibilities, resource requirements, potential sources of funding, milestones and timelines.

We welcome your input into the development of the action plan. You can use the button bar at the top of the page to access a Questionnnaire or Contact form to provide input directly to us. Thanks for your input!