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Varian, a global leader in developing and delivering multidisciplinary cancer care solutions headquartered in Palo Alto, California, announced the creation of a Montréal Center of Innovation.

Montréal, September 6, 2018 – The Center will focus on research and development of new health informatics technologies to expand Varian’s cancer care capabilities. Varian’s acquisition earlier this year of Evinance Innovation Inc., a Montréal-based clinical decision support software company, established the foundation for this new center.

“The Evinance acquisition gave us an excellent core team in Montréal and, based on its success, we decided this was the ideal location to further develop decision support and intelligent patient treatment workflows for our 360 Oncology platform,” said Dow Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Varian . “The platform is the first software system designed to integrate and coordinate key elements of cancer care so patients and their cancer teams can collaborate on achieving the best outcomes. Moving toward a more integrated approach to care is key to achieving our vision of a world without fear of cancer.”

With this new Center of Innovation, Varian expects to triple the size of the Montréal team this year alone and is targeting continued growth over the next three years.

“In addition, we will actively collaborate with local universities on research, hire local graduates and interns, and partner with
Montréal-based technology experts to achieve our goal of delivering a comprehensive cancer-care operating system that helps clinicians make more informed decisions at the point of care,” said Mr. Wilson. “We are excited about leveraging Montréal’s large talent base to develop new knowledge-based solutions and equip the world with new tools to fight cancer.”

Hubert Bolduc, President and CEO of Montréal International, said Varian’s decision to expand its presence in Greater Montréal further reaffirms the region’s emerging position as a global leader in life sciences and health technologies (LSHT). “We are proud to host this new center of innovation,” Mr. Bolduc said. “Greater Montréal boasts complementary strengths in biopharma, medtech, digital health and artificial intelligence, making it a diversified and interconnected hub well-equipped to address the industry’s future needs. What’s more, we are a vibrant and creative city with well-known academic and healthcare institutions and are delighted to have dynamic companies such as Varian come on board.”

“Varian’s new innovation center reinforces Montréal’s position as a world leader in life sciences and health technologies. Montréal offers great quality of life, attracting and retaining top talent from all over the world. The city’s pool of skilled workers and prominent researchers will be a tremendous asset to Varian. We are proud to welcome another major player into our ecosystem of world-class research centers, labs and university hospitals,” said Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante.

“We commend Varian’s decision to set up an innovation center in Québec. That speaks of the strength and talent of the local life sciences industrial sector. Québec has excellent assets when it comes to R&D activities in the life sciences, and represents fertile ground for any company wanting to invest here. We’re proud of helping promote the benefits of choosing Montréal for this key player in the healthcare sector,” said Mr. Pierre Gabriel Côté, President and CEO of Investissement Québec.

The LSHT industry includes 56,000 jobs in Québec, with 80% concentrated in the Greater Montréal area, 10,000 students graduating every year in health-related programs, and more than 650 companies.

About Varian
Varian is a leader in developing and delivering cancer care solutions, and is focused on creating a world without fear of cancer. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Varian employs approximately 7,000 people located at sites in North America, Asia and Europe and in 70 sales and support offices around the world. The company’s Canadian headquarters are in Winnipeg.

About Montréal International 
Established in 1996, Montréal International is a non-profit organization funded by the private sector, the governments of Canada and Québec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal and the City of Montréal. Its mandate is to attract and retain foreign investment (companies and startups), international organizations, skilled workers and international students to Greater Montréal by providing support services tailored to their needs.

About Investissement Québec
Investissement Québec’s mission is to foster the growth of investment in Québec, thereby contributing to economic development and job creation in every region. The Corporation offers businesses a full range of financial solutions, including loans, loan guarantees and equity investments, to support them at all stages of their development. It is also responsible for administering tax measures and prospecting for foreign investment.

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