Innovation, Technology and Business 

Toronto’s life science sector has enjoyed a very impressive past and is driving forward to an even more impressive future. Clearly, Toronto is poised to meet global pharmaceutical challenges with a vibrant and dynamic research and development community.

But Toronto is not just about engaging in early stage research. Innovative discoveries from our research institutions are creating new companies where these technologies are being developed and commercialized into new products and services. Centred in Toronto’s aptly named Discovery District is

MaRS. Currently a 750,000 square foot facility dedicated to the development and commercialization of innovative technologies, MaRS is expanding with a second phase which will provide almost 900,000 additional square feet of commercialization space. MaRS however, is not alone in expanding research infrastructure. Many of Toronto’s teaching hospitals and research institutions are also building and expanding new facilities for R&D that together provide for an investment of over $1.2 billion.

These new and improved R&D centres will help to retain and attract scientists from around the world as well as solidify Toronto’s position as the third largest pharmaceutical and life science cluster in North America – with more than 700 companies providing jobs for more than 150,000 people. With eight universities and colleges, nine teaching hospitals and numerous private sector research facilities,

Toronto offers a wide range of research and business development opportunities.

The Toronto area is home to large multi-national medical companies. Many of the most important pharmaceutical and biotech companies are already located here. Among them are Sanofi Pasteur, Eli Lilly, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline Inc., AstraZeneca, Apotex, and Teva Canada. Our biopharmaceutical industry and health research community is not only a source of scientific discovery, but is also producing innovative new technologies and products that are vital to the health and well-being of people from all over the world.

Toronto is at the core of one of the fastest growing economic regions in North America. It has nurtured a broad range of economic clusters that characterize a global city. Toronto has unique assets: its residents, a diverse creative, talented and well educated labour pool and a value system that embraces ideas and people from all over the world. Our location in North America provides for global connectedness. These attributes combined with a renowned health care system, a world-class research community and our reputation as an extremely liveable city give Toronto an immense competitive advantage in today’s knowledge and innovation driven economy.