BioQuébec and Health Valley now working together
BROMONT (Québec) January 31, 2017 – During its trade mission to Switzerland which occurred earlier this month, BIOQuébec formalized its partnership with Health Valley to facilitate business ties between their respective members, while supporting life sciences operators in both Québec and Switzerland as they seek to expand their development in either of these two territories.
“The reach of Québec’s biotechnology and life sciences organizations – more than 135 biotechs and 71 CROs – extends far beyond Québec’s borders, as we have seen through the expansion of our relations with MassBio in Massachusetts and now with Switzerland’s Health Valley”, states Martin Godbout, BIOQuébec’s President. “The quality of the research done in Québec is acknowledged around the world, and we are pleased that we can now work closely with an organization as important as Health Valley to facilitate business ties between our members and a country such as Switzerland, which is a key player in the global development of life sciences.”
Over the mid/long-term, this agreement could assist Swiss companies looking to invest in Québec or help Québec companies obtain financing from Swiss businesses, which would allow for the researching and marketing of new drugs, treatments, and preventive or diagnostic tools to be done here in Québec.
“This alliance is creating an important connection between two territories which are very similar, both in terms of their population and their economic and financial power”, suggests Benoit Dubuis, President of Inartis Foundation, which oversees Health Valley’s activities. “In this globalized world, where innovation faces no barriers, it is important to establish synergistic alliances while putting people back at the core of R&D processes. This partnership supports the creation of companies in the two regions, showing just how important it is to have a European hub for BIOQuébec’s organizations and a North American hub for Health Valley’s corporations.”
About Health Valley
Health Valley is a life sciences district located in Western Switzerland, an area which extends from Geneva to Bern and includes the Western cantons of Bern, Freiburg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, and Vaud. This internationally-recognized cluster has a critical mass of nearly 1 000 companies, research centres, and innovation support companies. It currently provides more than 25 000 jobs. Health Valley is managed and fostered by senior executives from 63 ambassador companies.