Conference Board report finds promise in life sciences

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

A study conducted by the Conference Board of Canada for Ag-West Bio Inc. has concluded that Saskatchewan—already a national leader in the life sciences sector—can become a significant global player.

The sector refers to the science and technology being developed to transform renewable feedstocks such as agricultural and forestry materials into new sources of energy, industrial products, health-related products and other products or services.

The study was funded by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, Saskatchewan Industry and Resources, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority, Western Economic Diversification, and Industry Canada.

Ag-West Bio Inc. President and CEO Dr. Ashley O’Sullivan says the study is intended to give focus to life science efforts in the province.

“The province needs a strategic direction to understand where the opportunities are in the emerging bio-economy,” O’Sullivan said. “We need to know what our comparative strengths are and how we can build on those.”

The study was conducted through consultations and surveys with over 100 life science leaders in Saskatchewan, including representatives of business, producer organizations, and the research community.

“They also looked at other jurisdictions and their strengths compared to ours,” said O’Sullivan. “So it’s not just a look at Saskatchewan, it’s a look at Saskatchewan in the context of other jurisdictions and their capacities, as well.”

The Conference Board report comprises a Life Sciences Strategy for Saskatchewan, with a list of 20 recommendations aimed at establishing an industry-led biofuels and bioproducts centre to champion the industry within the province and enable world-leading research and commercialization efforts.

The strategy indicates that Saskatchewan should focus on a few key areas of development in life sciences. It deals with the substantial capacity that already exists to convert crops and forests into biofuels and other products.

“Obviously for Ag-West, the whole area of bioproducts and biofuels is an important area. We’re moving ahead with that right away in the sense that we’re looking at doing an analysis of what the sector should look like and working with stakeholders to make that happen,” O’Sullivan said.

In addition, the strategy looks at Saskatchewan’s opportunities to take a leadership role in developing products in the nutrition, health and wellness sector for both humans and animals. These include food and feed with added nutritional value, functional foods, natural health products and nutraceuticals.

The study also highlights the large supporting sector of the highly-respected research community, and a number of early-stage companies in Saskatchewan working in the areas of immunology and vaccines. It discusses assets such as the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron, the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, and the National Research Council’s Plant Biotechnology Institute, among others.

Dr. O’Sullivan says that plans have already begun to put the Life Sciences Strategy recommendations into action.

“We have a steering committee that was established to oversee this process, and we’ve had one meeting to look at the recommendations in terms of who would be best to deliver on what,” he noted. “The strength here is that the steering committee also involves different levels of government, so they are an important part of it, too.”

A copy of the Life Sciences Strategy report is available at www.agwest.sk.ca.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Ashley O’Sullivan, President and CEO
Ag-West Bio Inc.
Phone: (306) 975-1939
E-mail: ashley.osullivan@agwest.sk.ca