2017–2027 Québec Life Sciences Strategy
The Québec government is releasing the Québec Life Sciences Strategy, Innovation Comes to Life, for 2017–2027.
The Québec Life Sciences Strategy has four objectives and a financial framework of $205 million for the next five years, which includes $151 million in new funding from the 2016–17 and 2017–18 Quebec budgets.
Ambitious goals
Québec plans to be one of North America’s top five life science hubs by 2027. Furthermore, the Québec government is seeking to attract $4 billion in private investment by 2022 with the sector’s collaboration.
Building a sound, sustainable industry
With the Québec Life Sciences Strategy, the government is seeking to build a business environment adapted to these new realities and foster an “innovation first” mentality to help the industry thrive and grow sustainably.
Québec intends to accelerate growth by supporting research, providing help with financing, and stimulating the creation of quality jobs along the entire innovation chain.
Four objectives
- Increase investment in research and innovation in all life sciences
- Risk-sharing in research and innovation
- Upgrade of health and social services network assets
- Foster the creation of innovative companies and ensure their growth
- Seeding and startup of companies
- Development of successful companies
- The emergence of new Québec flagships
- Attract new private investment
- Private investment prospecting
- Promoting Québec’s life sciences sector
- Further integrate innovation into the health and social services network
- Creation of the Health and Social Services Innovation Office
- Access to government contracts
- Support for real-world evidence projects
- Faster access to promising drugs
Growth in two cross-cutting niches
The Québec Life Sciences Strategy will seek to strengthen two major market niches with great growth potential:
- Precision medicine
- Use of big data in the health sector
Québec has world-leading researchers and organizations in these two niches and must continue to encourage young people to train in the field. They are cross-cutting niches whose development will play to all of Québec’s research strengths.
Focusing on these two important areas will also provide Québec with a unique, ambitious, and visionary international positioning and ultimately attract greater private foreign investment and help develop a new industrial sector.
Last update: November 15, 2019