The University of Ottawa Makes Historic Investment to GROW OTTAWA’S LIFE SCIENCES SECTOR

The University of Ottawa Makes Historic Investment to GROW OTTAWA’S LIFT The quality of healthcare we will enjoy tomorrow depends on the research we do today. Over the past decades, Ottawa has been growing its research enterprise, taking on the most pressing challenges in healthcare. However, the shortage of research and wet lab space has limited the region’s ability to truly establish itself as a leader in health innovation and commercialization. E SCIENCES SECTOR

In the spring of 2024, the University of Ottawa took a huge step toward bridging that gap when it broke ground on its largest-ever investment: the Advanced Medical Research Centre (AMRC). The seven-storey state-of-the-art facility is being built adjacent to uOttawa’s Faculty of Medicine, and in close proximity to the Ottawa Hospital General Campus and CHEO. Scheduled to open in 2026, it’s where researchers, clinicians, investors and entrepreneurs will team up to accelerate the discovery and commercialization of new therapies.

“I have discussions with the CEOs of Canadian companies who question, on a monthly basis, whether they should be moving to the United States,” says Dane Bedward, a leading expert with over 30 years of experience in the global medical and life sciences sector who supports fundraising efforts for the AMRC.

Interim Vice-President, Research and Innovation at uOttawa and longtime health researcher Dr. Julie St-Pierre emphasizes the importance of building for the future. “Ottawa is among the largest health innovation ecosystems in Canada. Yet, there is no facility of this scale to support researchers and clinicians,” she says. “This building will be critical to attracting and retaining the best and brightest researchers and students.”

A key feature of the AMRC will be the Health Innovation Hub, focusing not only on enabling the discovery of life-saving therapies but also incubating and scaling up the next generation of biotech companies. “Driving continuous progress in healthcare requires that we provide researchers with the space and equipment to make their discoveries and bring their intellectual property to market,” says Dr. St-Pierre.

Dane Bedward echoes these sentiments. “With the increased support that universities now are giving to their researchers with intellectual property, I think we’re going to create that environment to keep new companies here,” he says. “There’s so much grey matter here, but so many inventions that have come out of Canada get gobbled up and taken outside Canada.”

An economic study commissioned by uOttawa predicts that companies resulting from the facility will generate $320 million in revenues by 2030 and contribute $1.1 billion to Ontario’s economy, while creating more than 1,300 jobs. The facility will also receive a LEED Gold designation for sustainability.

For more information on the AMRC and how to support Canadian research and health-care innovation, please contact uOttawa’s Jonathan Bodden at jbodden@uOttawa.ca or 613-614-3571.