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Economic Performance:
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Calgary Region Cluster
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Calgary
Region Cluster Portfolio
Agriculture &
Health Biotechnology
Agriculture and Health
Biotechnology is a seed cluster. There is little evidence of critical
mass, but there are strong assets in the region, which coupled with the
potential for substantial growth of this industry, could lead to the emergence
of a cluster. There are six main companies at various stages of product
development, mostly in human health biotechnology. These include SemBioSys
Genetics, Dow AgroSciences, and Alta Genetics.
Globally, biotechnology
is a growing industry. Since 1993, U.S. biotech R&D, sales, and revenues
have doubled. Canada however is second only to the U.S. in the total number
of biotechnology companies, employees, and sales. There are strong Canadian
assets that foster biotech growth; namely new technology discoveries,
government investment, regulatory structure, and growing venture capital
for this industry.
The outlook for the
Calgary region is also good given the strong assets in the region. New
technologies are emerging from the University of Calgary, the Tom Baker
Cancer Centre, and the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network.
There is growing commercialization
support through Calgary Technologies Inc; University Technologies International,
Alberta Value-Added Corporation, and the Alberta Research Council. The
strong quality of life in the region has also played an important role
in attracting and retaining talent. Nevertheless, this seed cluster must
address challenges posed by insufficient capital, limited industry knowledge,
and weak global linkages and partnerships.
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