Life Sciences

Home

The key to Québec's success is the synergy that drives companies in the private sector, public research, universities, teaching hospitals and the major clinical research networks. Such links harness the power of convergence and collaboration, both multidisciplinary and multi-centric, and allow Québec to stand out through innovation and creativity.

 

Make you Creative Breakthroughs in Québec

Québec ranks among the 10 most important health sciences industrial pools in North America. Here's why!

 

They Chose Québec

  • The ten largest pharmaceutical companies in the world have established operations in Québec: their Canadian head office, important sites for fundamental research or major manufacturing facilities. They are: AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GSK, Johnson&Johnson, Merck Frosst (Merck), Novartis, Pfizer, Roche Diagnostics, Sanofi-Aventis and Wyeth.
  • More than 20 international pharmaceutical firms have their Canadian headquarters here.
  • The fact that many "first-tier" contract research firms such as Cato Research, Charles River Laboratories, Covance, PharmaNet Development Group and Quintiles have operating facilities in Québec clearly demonstrates that its business environment is very attractive.

 

A Cluster of Expertise

  • Nearly half of the Canadian life sciences industries are concentrated in the Montréal region, which also accounts for most of the basic and clinical research activities conducted in Canada - that is more than 400 companies.
  • Close to 150 products are currently in development in Québec.
  • Montréal ranks 8th in North America for pharmaceutical jobs, with a pool of 32,000 stable, experienced and skilled workers in the biopharmaceutical industry and over 13,000 researchers in the public biomedical research centres.
  • World-class infrastructures are in place to manufacture bioproducts and to conduct clinical trials.

  

Advantageous Financial and Fiscal Support Measures

  • The costs of doing research or manufacturing in Québec are lower than in Europe and the United States.
  • Tax credits for R&D expenses among the most generous in the world. Companies can earn tax breaks for up to 40% of the salaries of R&D workers and up to 100% of expenses.
  • Foreign scientists and experts can take advantage of a Québec personal income tax break for up to five consecutive years.
  • Québec has one of the lowest corporate income tax rates in North America: 30.9% to be continuously reduced to 26.9% in 2012.

 

 

"Québec encourages research and development by offering support and attractive fiscal tax incentives, which is an outstanding advantage for life science companies. As for me, I decided to set up my company in Québec when I realized that Québec's fiscal tax incentives and extensive life sciences infrastructure allowed me to do twice as much research per investment dollar than was possible in Massachusetts." — Jan-Eric Ahlfors, President and CSO, New World Laboratories, 2009.

 

 

Join the leaders!

Last update: August 2009