Canadian Business May 1, p. 49
Over two decades UBC's University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) has spun off a whopping 90 companies. That alone makes it the No. 1 incubator in Canada. But on top of that, David Jones and his colleagues have filed a staggering 800 patents in biotechnology, medical sciences and engineering on behalf of UBC. And about 80 per cent of all the companies they've spun off remain active, a survivability rate up there with the portfolios of the hottest venture capitalists in Silicon Valley.
"UBC is the most successful office of its type in Canada, and probably one of the very few at the top of North America," says Westport Innovations CEO David Demers, adding that his company wouldn't even be here today if it weren't for the UILO.
The Province April 30, p. A41
"The strength of the Canadian biotechnology industry is its superb academic base," says Bruce Schmidt, chairman of the B.C. Biotechnology Alliance, the umbrella group that represents more than 80 companies in the sector.
More than 60 per cent of biotech companies here are spun out of B.C. universities or started by B.C. scientists.
The Globe and Mail May 3, Commentary
Economic and technological transformations are completely altering the way we do business. In the former economy, for example, money followed resources; today it follows knowledge and people. In this environment, a strong education system and access to lifelong learning are guarantors of social harmony and prosperity.