Life Sciences The life sciences represent a booming industry in Metro Montréal. In all, 40,500 people are employed in 628 companies, including 149 public and parapublic research organizations. Between 2000 and 2005, the industry benefited from foreign investment projects worth more than $700 million, thanks to Montréal International's involvement. The Montréal region ranks first in Canada for contract research organizations (CROs).
“There are many reasons for choosing to invest in Montréal , including the protection of intellectual property, access to a huge market for biopharmaceutical products, government R&D spending and a solid network of universities and hospitals. You can also take advantage of Montreal ’s highly qualified and well-trained workforce.”
André Marcheterre, President, Merck Frosst Canada
Attractive Research Infrastructures Montréal ranks first in Canada for research centers and academic research funding.
Greater Montréal is home to 11 institutions of higher learning, including two faculties of medicine (McGill University and the Université de Montréal), as well as a truly integrated life sciences complex, Metropolitan Montréal’s City of Biotechnology and Human Health. In addition, several major research institutes and specialized centers are located in the region. They are the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the Biotechnology Research Institute (BRI), the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS – National Scientific Research Institute), the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM – Montréal Clinical Research Institute), the Montréal Neurological Hospital, the Montréal Genomics and Proteomics Center and the Montréal Heart Institute.
In combination with a readily available, highly skilled and affordable workforce, this network of research facilities makes Metro Montreal one of the few places in the world capable of carrying out every phase of product development, from the initial research stage to the final product launch, including all the required pre-clinical and clinical trials.
An Array of World Leaders Metro Montréal is home to an impressive array of world leaders in the life sciences, including:
Merck Frosst Wyeth
Charles River - Preclinical CTBR
MDS Pharma Services
Pharmascience
A Hotbed of Talent Five institutions of higher learning in Metro Montréal offer specialized programs in the life sciences: the Université de Montréal (16 programs), McGill University (10 programs), the Université du Québec à Montréal (2 programs), Concordia University (3 programs) and the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier (4 programs). Nearly 10,200 students are currently enrolled in a life sciences program, and more than 2,300 degrees were awarded in 2005 in the life sciences in Greater Montreal.
Highly Competitive Operating Costs According to a KPMG comparative study carried out in 2004,Greater Montréal offers the most advantageous operating costs in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in North America (comparison of North American cities with over two million people).
For More Information For the latest news in the life sciences industry, researcher and company profiles, industry employment opportunities and a wide range of socioeconomic information, visit www.montreal-invivo.com
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