By Laura Knox-Wallar
LIFE SCIENCES ONTARIO
ONTARIO
PUTTING ONTARIO ON THE MAP When it comes to bridging the gap between veterans and newcomers in Ontario’s life sciences industry, Life Sciences Ontario (LSO) provides the bricks and mortar. Through two new initiatives, the Ontario Life Sciences Asset Map and the Entrepreneur Mentorship Program, LSO is reinforcing its mission to represent and promote the benefits of life sciences technologies and encourage their commercial success through advocacy, facilitation of economic development and local national, and international promotion.
ONTARIO’S LIFE SCIENCES ASSET MAP Along with a new and progressive website, LSO has launched an ‘asset map’ - an interactive directory and information platform targeting every life sciences organization in the province. The goal of the database is to add value and visibility for stakeholders and to act as an easy access tool for those looking to learn more about Ontario’s biotech environment. “When we were building the new web-
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Biotechnology Focus / April 2013
site we wanted to focus on where we could add value to our stakeholders and the asset map was one area that stood out for us,” says LSO’s executive director Jason Field. “Not only does it profile Ontario companies on an international platform but it also serves as a portal for people wanting to learn more about, and connect with, life sciences organizations in Ontario.” Organizations from across disciplines such as health sciences, industrial bio-
technology, agriculture and food can log into the asset map and create a profile of their organization for free. The profile covers everything from basic contact information and website links, to more comprehensive items such as how many people you employ, what products you have and at what stage they are at, as well as potential licensing opportunities. The benefit of this information is twofold: “As we build the quantity and quality of data in the asset map we’ll be
