From June 16-19th, 2025, BioAlberta hosted a delegation of 14 Alberta companies, research institutes, and life sciences innovators at the annual BIO International Conference held this year in Boston, Massachusetts. The theme of this year’s conference was “The World Can’t Wait” and the Alberta delegation was excited to be advocating for Alberta as a jurisdiction of action.
Over the course of the five-day conference, Alberta, and Canada as a national delegation, caught the attention of the global life sciences ecosystem. Alberta’s delegation positioned themselves as an established and evolving leader in life sciences. BioAlberta was proud to showcase growth and expansion plans for pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and clinical trial capacity and health technology advancement, bringing a message that Alberta is open for life science investment and welcomes the world to partner with our Alberta ecosystem. BioAlberta thanks BIOTECanada for coordinating the Canada pavilion that brought together provincial partners to showcase our life sciences capacity and investment potential to the world!
During the conference, BioAlberta again hosted two successful events, that were touted as the best Canadian events. On Monday June 16th, BioAlberta hosted an insightful and experienced breakfast panel that included respected researchers, clinicians, and corporate executives delving into the issue of clinical trials. The panel, sponsored by Alberta Innovates, included Tara Cowling, Founder and President of Medlior Health Outcomes Research Ltd., Dr. Lawrence Richer, Associate Dean of Research at the College of Health Sciences, Troy Hamilton, Co-Founder and Director of Operations at the CaRe Clinic, and Rami Fayed, Vice President and General Manager, Canada, at Abbvie. The panel each spoke to Alberta as a predominant space for clinical trial research. Alberta’s integrated health system, capacity to store and utilize data, a high level of patient engagement in a patient’s health journey, and efficient approval times are significant advantages for Alberta to be a major player for the conduct of clinical trials. The panel emphasized that clinical trials offer hope and alternative treatment options for patients facing severe diagnoses. Thank you, Ryan Mercer, and the team at Alberta Innovates and Clinical Trials Alberta for amplifying Alberta’s capacity in the clinical trials ecosystem.
BioAlberta also hosted the annual Alberta@BIO Reception on Tuesday, June 17th, 2025. Over 200 conference attendees joined BioAlberta to celebrate Alberta’s life sciences ecosystem, to network with the Alberta delegation and to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup. Even though Oilers fans faced a crushing end to the 2025 Stanley Cup run that evening, the energy and passion to continue to elevate Alberta as a leader in life sciences development was strong and unwavering. BioAro’s Founder, Dr. Anmol Kapoor, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Karama IT to conduct research on the detection of allergic and immune related diseases. It was fantastic to celebrate the success of one of Alberta’s growing companies! Thank you, Innovative Medicines Canada, for sponsoring this year’s Alberta@BIO Reception and thank you to all who attended the event.
Partnerships are critical to success in the life science sector, and BioAlberta values its partnerships with its private and public sector stakeholders. It was a pleasure to host two representatives from the Government of Alberta’s new ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services: Shelley Valaire, Executive Director of Research and Innovation and Hubert Eng, Director, Research and Innovation. Shelley brought remarks to the BioAlberta events where she emphasized the significant contributions to health innovation that Alberta companies and researchers conduct each day. Alberta companies were part of meetings with Shelley who commented how valuable these connections and discussions are as Alberta looks to expand its health innovation footprint. To our delegates, and sponsors, especially Entos Pharmaceuticals, the University of Alberta, and the University of Calgary, BioAlberta thanks you for your continued support and collective work in our ecosystem that is supporting exciting developments.
BIO International shines a spotlight on Alberta as a leader in the life science sector, directly contributing significant positive economic and job impacts to the Alberta economy. Alberta continues to lead amongst Canada’s jurisdictions in our capacity to conduct clinical trials, expedite health initiatives and approvals for research proposals, manufacture health products, and collect health data that best supports a patient’s health journey. The BioAlberta team is proud to unite and champion Alberta’s life sciences ecosystem by fostering collaboration, catalyzing connections, and shaping public dialogue around economic opportunity to accelerate sector growth and advance health innovation.
BioAlberta’s team, led by President and CEO Robb Stoddard, invite you to continue engaging, developing, and showcasing Alberta’s life science excellence to the world. The BioAlberta team looks forward to continuing its advocacy for Alberta’s life sciences ecosystem that fosters innovation, growth, and continued investments that drive the best health outcomes for Albertans and a strong economy in Alberta.
