Life sciences

General Industry Profile

With more than 41,000 workers distributed among 620 private companies and 150 university and public research organizations, the life sciences sector of Greater Montréal is a world-class industry. Recognized for its state-of-the-art expertise, Montréal’s life sciences business cluster benefits from the presence of world leaders in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, contractual research and medical technologies, as well as numerous research institutions that are specialized in fundamental research in neurology, oncology, cardiology, endocrinology and immunology. Lastly, the Montréal region can likewise count on the presence of seven international organizations in the life sciences sector.

Key Figures

• More than 41,000 employees in 620 private companies and 150 university and public research organizations$
• 4.18B in manufacturing shipments (2008)
• $675.2M in exports (2008)
• 80 subsidiaries of foreign companies
• Costs of $389M in R&D (2008)
• Since 2000, more than $1B invested in capital in Greater Montréal

Benefits of the Region

 
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Labour

• Five university establishments in Greater Montréal offer specialized programs in the life sciences: Université de Montréal (16 programs), McGill University (10 programs), Université du Québec à Montréal (3 programs), Concordia University (3 programs) and the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier (4 programs)
• Nearly 11,000 students are enrolled in a program related to the life sciences (2007)
• More than 2,500 university graduates identified in the sector (2007).

R&D

Greater Montréal ranks first in Canada for the number of research centres and amounts invested in university research.

The Montréal region is equipped with a veritable integrated complex in the life sciences: the City of Biotechnology and Human Health of Metropolitan Montréal (Cité de la biotechnologie et de la santé humaine du Montréal métropolitain), located in Laval.

Other research institutions and specialized centers have likewise been established in Greater Montréal:

• The Québec Genome Innovation Centre and McGill University
• The Cancer Research Centre (McGill University)
• The Biotechnology Research Institute (BRI) of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC)
• The National Institute of Scientific Research [Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
  
• The Clinical Research Institute of Montréal [Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
  
• The Institute for Research in Immunology and Oncology [Institut de recherche en immunologie et cancérologie (IRIC)
  
• The Montréal Neurological Institute and Hospital (McGill University)
  
• The Cardiology Institute of Montréal
  

Incentives

The governments of Canada and Québec offer numerous tax incentives to companies in the life sciences sectors, including up to 20% in tax credits for R&D from the federal government, and 17.5% from the Québec government.

In addition to the tax credits for R&D, numerous other financial and tax incentives are offered to companies. Please contact us to determine if you are eligible for one of the following programs:

• Financial aid for the creation of jobs and training
• Tax holidays for foreign experts and researchers
• Investment plan feasibility study
• Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)
• Strategic Investment Support Program [Programme d’appui stratégique à l’investissement (PASI)]
• Economic Projects Support Program [Programme de soutien aux projets économiques (PSPE)]
• PR@M Industry

Costs

In the life sciences sector, Greater Montréal offers operating costs that are among the lowest in North America. According to the Competitive Choices study conducted by KPMG in 2008, Greater Montréal ranks 1st among the top 20 largest metropolitan regions of North America in biomedical R&D and clinical testing management, taking into account labour costs, industrial and office space costs, and energy costs.

International Organizations

Greater Montréal benefits from the presence of seven international organizations in the life sciences sector: 

• World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH)
• Human Proteome Organization (HUPO)Public Project for Population Genomics [Projet public de génomique des populations (P3G)]
• International Secretariat of Francophone Nurses [Secrétariat international des infirmiers et infirmières de l’espace francophone (SIDIIEF)]
• International Society of Urology (ISU)
• The Transplantation Society (TTS)

Main Leaders

Greater Montréal is home to numerous world leaders in the life sciences sector, including: 

• Algorythme Pharma
• Anapharm
• AstraZeneca
• Boehringer Ingelheim
• Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Charles River
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Johnson & Johnson
• Merck Frosst
• Novartis
• Pfizer
• Sandoz
• Sanofi-Aventis
• Services Pharma MDS
• Shering Plough
• Wyeth