Putting Pieces of the Puzzle Together

This is an exciting time for Genome BC. On August 19th the Province of British Columbia announced $25 million for Genome BC in support of its ongoing research in the sectors of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, human health, bioenergy, mining and the environment. We are delighted by this investmentand gratified that the tremendous capability and impact of life science research activity in our community has been recognized and will continue. When we add this new funding to the $50 million that we received from the province in 2008, we are well positioned to implement our 2010-2015 strategic plan.

Part of the new influx of funding will go towards our Business Development programs, which are a key element of this third strategic plan. In this plan we implement three sets of programs: large-scale science, which looks at broader questions and whole genomes; applied genomics, which investigates applications of genomics in various sectors; and securing economic and social benefits, which is achieved through the translation of research into practical, direct purposes. It is these translation programs which are poised to make a significant impact in the next few years.

The programs within the Business Development portfolio are all aimed at substantially increasing the translation of the benefits of research in genome sciences into applications and providing tools that will benefit our sectors. The programs recognize the current conditions in the biotech community; the pieces of the puzzle are there and Genome BC can help put them together to secure benefits that genomics can offer.

The Business Development programs are therefore focused on investing in user-driven, translational research and development with anticipated short term outcomes that will lead to benefits in the relevant sector. The four specific programs created to achieve this goal are: the Networks Program which is aimed at bringing together both end-users and scientists across western Canada in specific sectors; such as the Large-Scale Applied Research Project competition via Genome Canada which was developed with input from the Canadian Forest Health Genomics Initiative; the Partnerships Program which endeavours to partner with local Centres of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECRs) such as the Centre for Drug Research and Development to maximize commercialization efforts; the Proof of Concept Program which facilitates the development of novel pre-commercial technologies based in genomics and life sciences at BC’s research institutions in collaboration with industry; and the Small Business Program which offers, through Genome BC’s Strategic Opportunities Fund for Industry (SOFi), the opportunity for companies to directly access funding to accelerate commercial potential. Genome BC funded promising clinical research with Sirius Genomics Inc. as a first step in the program.

The Proof of Concept program is one of our most exciting new ventures and would not be possible without the support of Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), which has been an integral part of our technology and commercialization programs since our inception in 2000.

We have set our challenge with our third strategic plan! This is the time to focus on bringing our investments to maturity. We look forward to keeping you informed on our progress.

Alan E. Winter
President and CEO