The month of May promises to be extraordinary!

Montréal’s life sciences and health technology sector can be proud of the choice made by Moderna to locate its plant in the city. A $180-million investment, the creation of more than 200 highly qualified jobs in Montréal, a 10-year strategic partnership, and an unprecedented collaboration on mRNA research with local scientists are all critical elements for our sector. They mark a major turning point for life sciences in Québec and Canada and particularly for our local biomanufacturing capacity. We can only be thrilled with this announcement and it is now up to us to do everything we can to facilitate the Moderna team’s implementation in our ecosystem.

Speaking of announcements, there is another one coming. That’s right, the Québec Life Sciences Strategy will be unveiled in a few days at EFFERVESCENCE 2022. I am looking forward to welcoming Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon on stage to present this strategy at Québec’s signature life sciences event. Mr. François Legault will be opening the event with an introduction recognizing the importance of the sector for Québec. Mr. Luc Boileau, Québec’s Director of Public Health will then take the stage for the opening conference where he will discuss with the speakers future collaborations between the life sciences sector and public health. I am counting on all of you to attend EFFERVESCENCE 2022. We need to demonstrate the strength and mobilization of the sector through a full house at the announcement of the Québec Life Sciences Strategy and more broadly through enthusiastic participation in the event set up to meet the demand of the members of Québec’s life sciences ecosystem. The time is now to attend and register to make the most of the Braindate partnership platform and plan your meetings on site.

We look forward to seeing you in the flesh at Marché Bonsecours next week!