The bar is high!
Did you see last week’s announcement about the first two innovation zones? What did you take away? Like me, did you notice the investment amounts involved?
Québec is putting a lot of money on the table and will be funding technology acquisition and infrastructure implementation. That’s not so surprising. But it’s the private sector investments that really took me off guard. We are talking about several hundred million dollars. Even if it seems that a good part of these amounts had already been planned and announced and that it is difficult to quantify the contribution in terms of new money, it’s clear that these first two designations by the government set the tone for what awaits a future innovation zone in the health field. The private sector’s involvement must be massive. And I have to say that I am a little concerned about our ability to do it within such a tight timeframe. There is still a lot of room to consolidate future initiatives and investments into health ZI projects, but time is running out. The mobilization of industrial players in life sciences is definitely underway, but it will have to shift into high gear if we want to have a chance to compete with other industrial sectors. It is the responsibility of all of us to play a role in identifying investment opportunities in Montreal to collectively build one or more health-related innovation zones.
By now you should have put in your agenda EFFERVESCENCE, your signature event for life sciences in Québec. We look forward to seeing you this year at Marché Bonsecours, from May 10 to 12, 2022. And yes, in person! We hope to be able to enjoy a high-quality event that will promote meetings, exchanges, partnerships, learning, not to mention the festive side that we all miss. Tickets will go on sale shortly. I encourage you to take advantage of the early-bird rate to show the 16 co-organizers your support and appreciation. Your participation makes the event!