Key Industries / Life Sciences / Life Sciences in Metro Vancouver: Shaping a Globally Prominent R&D Hub

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​It's time to embrace the lab coat in Metro Vancouver.

​April 2023 – ​A new report from Invest Vancouver, Life Sciences in Metro Vancouver: Shaping a Globally Prominent R&D Hub, highlights the many ways our region's life sciences industry is attracting global attention and identifies key recommendations to encourage its growth.

Metro Vancouver's vibrant life sciences industry has made a number of major contributions to public health in recent years, including developing crucial COVID-19 vaccine technology, advancing cancer treatment, and delivering antibody-based medicines for diseases such as COVID-19 and cancer. Our region also has the fastest-growing life sciences company in Canada, AbCellera.

The report features findings from comprehensive interviews with firms and an analysis of over 20 years of economic data. This approach taken by Invest Vancouver provides an extensive and current understanding of the region as a life sciences hub and what actions can support additional growth including controlling costs, accessing web lab space, and needing to attract talent.​


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" Invest Vancouver’s latest report captures very well the strengths and needs of the life sciences industry. Coordination across government, our industry associations, and investment attraction agencies can help us overcome barriers to unlocking further growth in an industry that is increasingly pl​aying a prominent role in our regional economy. "

- Kenneth Galbraith,Chair & CEO of Zymeworks
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​​​​​​​Key report recommendations​​​​​​

1. Provide wet lab space

The lack of wet lab space — laboratories where chemicals, drugs, or other material or biological matter are tested — is a major bottleneck for growth. Building wet lab spaces that are supported or partially funded would maintain the industry’s position as a research and development hub and spur growth.

2. Attract the right talent

The industry relies on a pool of highly-trained, specialized workers. Increasing the size of the talent pool is critical to industry growth. Alongside talent development, the region needs to actively attract those with the skill sets required to grow the industry through dedicated talent attraction staff, recruitment missions, and international student retention.

3. Help with cost controls

The life sciences industry is capital intensive, therefore controlling costs and stretching dollars is a matter of survival early on. Economies of scale, such as through pooled buying power, are one way to help individual firms lower their costs.

Embrace the Lab Coat Campaign

Research and development is thriving in the Metro Vancouver region. The heart of the regional life sciences industry, R&D’s contribution to GDP is 2.6 times higher than it was in 2001. To showcase this strength, Invest Vancouver is launching the "Embrace the Lab Coat" campaign. Over the coming weeks, Invest Vancouver will update this webpage with stories highlighting some of the best R&D advancements being led by companies from the Metro Vancouver region. Let's celebrate and embrace our power in R&D and innovation in Metro Vancouver!​

Interested in investing in life sciences within the Metro Vancouver region? Contact us​​​​

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​​​​​​​About Invest Vancouver

Invest Vancouver is the Metro Vancouver region’s economic development leadership service, created to advance broadly shared prosperity for all residents of the region. The mission of Invest Vancouver is to position the region for success in a rapidly evolving global economy.


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Invest Vancouver acknowledges that the region’s residents live, work, and learn on the shared territories of many Indigenous peoples, including 10 local First Nations: q́ićəý̓(Katzie), q́ʷɑ:ńƛ̓əń (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), máthxwi (Matsqui), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), se’mya’me (Semiahmoo), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), scəẃaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh).

Invest Vancouver respects the diverse and distinct histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, which collectively enrich our lives and the region.

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