Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, T.D. Launches Biolink Canada-Ireland

International Biotechnology and Life Sciences Linkages Strengthened

Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment Micheál Martin, T.D., today (Tuesday 17^th October 2006), as part of Enterprise Ireland’s Trade Mission to Canada, will launch Biolink Canada-Ireland, a new Enterprise Ireland network initiative and announced the signing of a significant agreement between it and the Toronto-based Medical and Related Sciences (MaRS) Research Center.

This agreement will link scientists, industry, academia and government agencies from the Irish and Canadian life sciences sector, and will create opportunities for knowledge sharing, research partnering and commercialisation between the life sciences sectors in Ireland and Canada.

The Minister said: “Canada is the worlds third largest biotechnology cluster. The creation of the Biolink Canada-Ireland network and its agreement with MaRS will further enhance the potential of the Irish biotechnology sector, building on the success of Biolink USA-Ireland and enhancing the strategic supports Enterprise Ireland provides to Irish companies in the sector”.

“This agreement will create significant opportunities for Irish companies in the medical and life sciences fields as there is a very strong emphasis on deriving commercial benefits from these interactions. The medical, biotechnology and life sciences sectors are key future growth sectors for the Irish economy,” the Minister said.

As part of the agreement with MaRS, a number of shared industry events will take place. These include the participation of a delegation of Canadian life sciences researchers at the BioIreland International Biotechnology conference in Dublin in November 2006 and the participation of Irish researchers at a MaRS conference in December 2006.

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About Biolink Canada-Ireland

This is a new network that has been set up as an Enterprise Ireland initiative, following the success of Biolink USA-Ireland.  It is an association of members from the biotech/life science research, commercialisation, and business communities in Canada and in Ireland, and others who are similarly engaged and who support the aims of the organisation. The aims of Biolink Canada-Ireland are connecting and fostering relations and interactions among members for mutual benefit, and providing support to the development of the biosciences in commercial, academic and government settings in Canada and Ireland.

About MaRS

A key MaRS mandate is the creation of powerful networks that will meaningfully connect the leadership of Canada’s scientific, business, investment and cultural communities to their international peers. It is a convergence innovation center located in Toronto’s renowned “Discovery District” – a 2km² site in the heart of downtown that have been designated as the city’s centre of innovation. MaRS is a not-for-profit corporation founded by leaders from the business and public sectors to improve commercial outcomes from Canada’s foundation of science and technology innovation. It opened in 2005 and connects and fosters collaboration between the communities of science, business and capital through co-location in the MaRS Centre and more broadly through catalytic programs, structured networks and the MaRS web portal.

Enterprise Ireland and The Irish Biotechnology Sector

Enterprise Ireland provides business supports and specialised laboratory facilities for Irish biotechnology companies. To date, Enterprise Ireland has supported six bioincubators with facilities also located at DCU (Invent), NUIG, TCD (Pearse St. and St. James’s Hospital), UCC and UCD. The bioincubators provide professional research and commercialisation services, as well as access to financial, legal and marketing advice.

For Further Information Please Contact

Sarah O’Callaghan

Press Officer

Enterprise Ireland

Tel:    01 808 2755

Mob:    087 1253221

www.enterprise-ireland.com/canada

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