Western joins biotechnology celebration

By Communications Staff
September 07, 2012

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Western research will join with colleagues from across the city to celebrate National Biotechnology Week, Sept. 14-21.

From the moment you wake up in the morning until the moment you fall asleep each night, biotechnology is having a positive impact on your life. Whether through breakthroughs in life sciences and healthcare, improvements in food production and safety, new technology in manufacturing, or even the reason you have a job, every aspect of your day is almost certainly being impacted by biotechnology.

Each September, communities across the country celebrate the success and potential of Canada’s biotech industry during National Biotechnology Week, a Canada-wide event designed to showcase the outstanding capacity that our country has for biotech research, discovery and development.

TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario, a London-based organization supporting and promoting technology-based entrepreneurs, is presenting the regional celebration with local events, including:

• Community Collaboration Forum: The Power & Potential of Cross Sector Collaboration hosted by Pillar Nonprofit Network on Sept. 19;
• BIOlympics on Sept. 20;
• Secondary School Biotechnology Awareness Campaign running throughout the week.

In the London-area, the biotechnology industry features researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators doing everything from turning manure into power to seeking cures for cancer and HIV. Nationally, the bio-economy makes up more than 7 per cent of Canada’s GDP, with an estimated value of more than $87 billion. With a growing impact on the manufacturing, health, automotive, energy and agriculture sectors, innovation in biotechnology is not only improving lives in countless ways, but also supporting an employment network of more than 1 million jobs.

To learn more about National Biotechnology Week and the bio-economy, visit imagenenation.ca or techalliance.ca.