Jan. 19, 2010
Life Sciences Summit with India Set for Vancouver

VICTORIA - This week's Canada-India B2B (Business to Business) Partnership Summit on Life Sciences in Vancouver will strengthen research and development partnerships and build new economic opportunities between British Columbia and India, announced Iain Black, Minister of Small Business Technology and Economy Development and minister responsible for the Asia Pacific Initiative.

"Life sciences are a huge part of the future for every living being on the planet," said Black, who will deliver an address to the conference's international audience. "Both British Columbia and India are established leaders in scientific research and development in the field. This Life Sciences Summit will help promote innovation and build new partnerships and new opportunities for both our regions."

The Canada-India B2B (Business to Business) Partnership Summit on Life Sciences will bring together industry, academic and governmental life science leaders to discuss how to build and strengthen bilateral alliances in the sector. Participants from both India and British Columbia will also work together to create a blueprint for use by small- and medium-sized enterprises in both Canada and India to build formal and long-lasting collaborative agreements.

"The Government of India is pleased to participate in the B2B Canada-India Partnership Summit, and explore opportunities for R and D and business collaboration that benefit innovators in both countries," said Dr. S. Natesh, senior advisor, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in India. "This event will help to stimulate strategic alliances that enable Canadian and Indian companies and academia to pool expertise, expand R and D capacity and accelerate the joint development of new technologies for the global biotechnology market."

The summit is being organized by the Government of British Columbia and International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada), in co-operation with the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology and the Confederation of Indian Industry. It will take place Jan. 21 to 23 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver just prior to BioPartnering North America, a leading annual international life sciences conference, also taking place in Vancouver.

Events include roundtable discussions about the industry, face-to-face meetings between life sciences organizations, and visits to life sciences companies and institutions located in Metro Vancouver. Confirmed participants include representatives from the India Department of Biotechnology, ISTPCanada, Genome BC, LifeSciences BC, the Rick Hansen Foundation, Xenon Pharmaceuticals and the BC Cancer Agency.

In the past year, British Columbia has established a trade and investment office in Bangalore and opened the new Asia-Pacific Business Centre at Robson Square, to build new and strengthen existing economic and academic collaborative relationships with India.

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