Key player in Winnipeg’s quest for biomedical cluster receives start-up funding

Winnipeg’s long-term objective of building an internationally recognized cluster for infectious diseases research, training and innovation has received a significant boost with a seed investment in the International Centre for Infectious Diseases (ICID). The new, non-profit organization is seen as a lynchpin in the ambitious strategy to establish a critical mass in infectious diseases expertise. Its aim is to build collaborative relationships between government laboratories and the academic community, and directing the fruits of that effort towards industry.

The creation of the ICID follows the release of a task force report earlier this year and $3 million in funding from Western Economic Diversification (WD) and $250,000 from the Province of Manitoba to cover its 18-month start-up phase. The task force was co-chaired by Dr Frank Plummer, director of the Winnipeg-based National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) and Terry Duguid, who has been selected as ICID’s founding president and CEO.

“There are many things the government can’t do,” says Plummer. “Government labs can’t receive money directly from the private sector. Government is limited in what it can pay people and we need the best scientists in the world. This is a bridging organization to bridge the gaps between the different sectors.”

The ICID’s founding board of directors held its inaugural meeting October 22 to establish priorities and move forward its initial business plan. That plan is being finalized and will be considered when the board meets again December 17.

“We will implement a non-profit business model that will be sustainable in the long term,” says Duguid. “The funding from WD and the province will get us kick started but over the next five or six years there’s a requirement for infrastructure and research funding. We estimate $50-60 million will be needed from all sources to put us on the map. The goal is to be sustainable in 10 years but we may need even more money to get there.”

The ICID is conceived as a public-private partnership that will act as a potent change agent and capacity builder. A four-pronged governance structure has been established to realize its main objectives of establishing a research institute, a training program, and innovation facility and a charitable foundation that will raise funding for the other activities. The charitable foundation will have a separate board of directors and will be used to attract large national and international grants.

“We want to use our federal institutions and the knowledge contained within them to help inventors get their ideas to the marketplace. Until now there was no one organization to pull all the threads together,” says Duguid. “We’re the International Centre for Infectious Diseases, not the Winnipeg centre. We’ll be rooted in the community but active all over the world … Winnipeg will be a hub but there’s great work happening all over Canada. Cooperation and collaboration will be the key.”

WD funding of ICID’s start-up phase follows Ottawa’s decision earlier this year to establish the headquarters for its new Canadian Public Health Agency in Winnipeg. Manitoba lobbied hard for the new agency, sending a large delegation to Ottawa earlier this year to makes its case (R$, March 18/04). What was still required, however, was a coordinating and facilitating body to ensure that long-term social and economic objectives are realized.

“ICID is absolutely critical and a long-term priority for Manitoba,” says John Clarkson, DM of the province’s Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology. “The Centre will help to support skilled people and move research into commercialization.”

BUILDING ON STRENGTH

Winnipeg already boasts a formidable academic and research base for infectious diseases. The Univ of Manitoba has an enviable base of research capacity and deep international linkages, while Plummer’s laboratory is located within the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health.

“We’re building on strength. The Centre has two Level 4 labs in one so it’s very unique,” says Duguid, adding that the recent spate of infectious disease outbreaks has created a wide spectrum of opportunity.

“The investments of the last 15 years are now mature and working well. The next step is BioMed City.

ICID is being positioned as a catalyst for BioMed City, a globally recognized cluster leveraging Winnipeg’s research strengths. The ICID task force recommended the creation of a biomedical development zone based upon a tripartite agreement between three levels of government. The zone would encompass federal and municipal land that includes the existing institutions and facilities, with the aim of growing the cluster through a combination of tax incentives and other support mechanisms.

“BioMed City would build on the assets we have and take major investments by government to create business opportunities,” says Plummer.

ICID will begin working with all levels of government to establish a BioMed City working group that would negotiate a tripartite agreement. From there, an action plan will be developed over the next few months. The area is already home to several companies including Cangene Corp and Biovail Corp and backers hope the creation of a targeted business district will help to create and attract many more.

“We are the only place in the world with two Level 4 labs for humans and animals. It’s our competitive advantage,” says Duguid. “The area already has many essential ingredients ... There have been huge investments in research, equipment and buildings but we need a better return on investment. In the infectious diseases and the biomedical field, a prime mandate of ours is the economic dimension.”

Duguid notes that BioMedCity has a lot in common with Toronto’s MaRS (Medical Related Sciences Discovery District), which could lead to a future cooperative relationship.

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