New Partnership with Queensland, Australia, Improved Ties with Wisconsin Highlights of BIO 2010
Premier Greg Selinger is promoting Manitoba as a hub of knowledge, research and innovation at the 2010 BIO International Conference, at which he is leading a delegation including more than 30 leaders from the province’s life-science, research and post-secondary education sectors.
Premier Selinger
“Manitoba’s reputation for conducting cutting-edge research and bringing it successfully to the marketplace is strong and getting stronger,” the premier said. “Conferences such as BIO 2010 give us the chance to show our best and brightest to the world and build new economic opportunities that strengthen the knowledge-based economy, which is the key to the future.”
Some of the highlights for Manitoba at the conference:
– Strengthening links with Queensland, Australia: Manitoba will work with Queensland on building economic and research partnerships in the life-sciences and composite sectors following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the premier and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. Areas of concentration include:
- biotechnology,
- functional foods and nutraceuticals,
- animal and health research including cancer research, and
- advanced composite materials such as those used in aerospace and bus manufacturing in Manitoba.
– Queensland joins Victoria and South Australia to become the third Australian province that has signed partnership agreements with Manitoba. Since 2005, exports to Australia from Manitoba have increased by 40 per cent to nearly $108 million annually and trade between the two countries is valued at more than $130 million.
– Building on Manitoba’s partnership with Wisconsin: The premier and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced that a joint Manitoba-Wisconsin workshop on regional climate modelling will be held in Winnipeg this summer with details to be announced shortly. This is the first of a series of workshops on climate-change issues of importance to the region that build on the Manitoba Wisconsin MOU signed in October. Other workshops will explore:
- regional climate modelling,
- climate change and watershed management,
- agricultural economics of climate change, and
- green jobs and economic growth.
– Centrallia 2010. The premier met with 150 global leaders in the life sciences sector at Manitoba’s annual BIO breakfast event. In addition to promoting the Manitoba industry, Selinger used the morning meeting to invite attendees to Centrallia 2010, which will bring more than 500 businesses to Winnipeg from Oct. 20 to 22.
“Conferences such as BIO are essential to promote Manitoba companies and capabilities to the world, and to enable our entrepreneurs and researchers to network, secure capital and build their businesses,” said Darren Fast, executive director of the Life Science Association of Manitoba.
