Life Sciences Ontario Road Trip

Life Sciences Ontario (LSO) invited Invest Barrie to participate in its annual LSO Road Trip Across the Province (September 26-29, 2023). The 2023 Road Trip explored Guelph, Hamilton, Northern Ontario and Barrie/Simcoe County/Orillia.

The purpose of the event was to explore life science ecosystems to find out what makes each region exceptional and what resources are available. Each location had the opportunity to develop its own unique event to promote the region’s life sciences sector.

Invest Barrie and partners from the County of Simcoe and City of Orillia collaborated with LSO to create an event that showcased the vibrancy of the sector in the region. The event began at the Sandbox Centre in beautiful downtown Barrie, where a breakfast networking session and presentation kicked off the event.

Attendees then boarded a Barrie Transit bus to Georgian College, where they toured its state-of-the-art Sadlon Centre for Health, Wellness and Sciences to explore the building and labs, and learn how the college is preparing students to meet the needs of industry. Participants also had the chance to tour and learn about how Georgian College’s Research and Innovation Department helps businesses stay competitive in the life sciences sector.

The day culminated with a luncheon and tour at Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC), which was celebrating the grand opening of its new, expanded Barrie facility.

The event not only showcased the thriving and growing life sciences sector in the region, but also emphasized the pivotal role of institutional, academic, and industry partnerships in steering this industry towards a promising future.

The event was successful in demonstrating that leaders in community health, medical device manufacturers, and innovators are driving growth in the life sciences and med-tech sectors in Barrie, Simcoe County and Orillia. It showed that the region’s life sciences sector is strong, growing, and should be considered as a prime investment location for life sciences related business.

There were 45 in-person participants, along with a virtual component that was streamed online so LSO members who could not join in person could tune into the presentations.

This was a new event format with several moving pieces, we were unsure of how it would be received. A standard event takes place at one location to allow the event staff to monitor all pieces and ensure an efficient process. With three locations, our department heavily relied on the support of our partners to adhere to a strict timeline and ensure everything went smoothly. We liked the format so much and received such positive feedback that we have since used a similar format with a completely different event.

The target audience was LSO members from across the province, regional economic development professionals, members from local college and university research and innovation departments, life science manufacturers, and various local changemakers were all among the event’s participants.

The LSO Roadshow was a resounding success in relation to its pre-identified goals and objectives, providing 45 participants with an incredibly hands-on and engaging introduction to life sciences in Barrie, Simcoe County and Orillia.

The event was an incredible partnership between local government, health and academic institutions, private business and an industry association all of whom came together to create and execute on an exciting event for all the participants.