Prince Edward Island BioAlliance the first in North America to receive gold label recognition

Charlottetown, PE – As Canada celebrates Global Biotech Week, the Prince Edward Island bioscience cluster continues to establish its reputation nationally and internationally. The Prince Edward Island BioAlliance has been awarded the Gold Label of Cluster Management Excellence by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA). The ESCA provides benchmarking and quality labelling of cluster management organizations worldwide.

The PEI bioscience sector has been recognized nationally and internationally for the collaborative economic cluster model that has advanced and grown the sector to 60 companies earning more than $600 million annually, employing 2,200 people and attracting $100 million in investment in 2021. The BioAlliance is a partnership of private sector companies, academic and research agencies, investors, and federal and provincial government partners strongly aligned through a shared vision for the sector and a unique strategy for growth.

“This international recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all of our cluster partners, who together have established the bioscience sector as a key pillar in the economic foundation of the province and Atlantic Canada,” said Oliver Technow, Chair of the Board of Directors, PEI BioAlliance, and CEO, BIOVECTRA. “The BioAlliance has proven the value of an aligned strategy for cluster development, creating an innovation ecosystem that addresses priorities such as infrastructure, access to a talented workforce, and attraction of technology, people, and capital.”

The ESCA began the audit process earlier this year and evaluated the BioAlliance against 31 indicators and numerous sub-indicators. Strengths noted in the report praised the sector’s strategic planning and execution, the degree of cooperation and participation within the cluster, and the quality of services provided to cluster participants.

Based in Berlin, the ESCA provides hands-on advice to cluster managers on cluster development and supports cluster policy makers and program owners with advice on program development. They offer three quality labels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Of the more than 1,500 clusters evaluated by ESCA in 46 countries, PEI is the first from North America to have received this recognition, with only 144 clusters worldwide who have received gold (three in bioscience).

“The PEI Bioscience Cluster has great momentum and unlimited opportunity,” said Rory Francis, CEO, PEI BioAlliance. “The BioAlliance team and our collaborative cluster development model have been essential elements in catalyzing key initiatives that have created the enabling conditions for new business attraction, technology commercialization, and business success.”

Dedicated to celebrating science, innovation and solutions, this year’s Global Biotech Week is being held from Sept. 24 – 30, 2023. The purpose of Global Biotech Week is to raise awareness of the industry and its global potential among policymakers, policy influencers and the general public more broadly.