Strong growth and maturing businesses
Since 1989 the Canadian biotechnology industry has grown strongly. Today, Canada has the largest per capita number of biotechnology companies in the world and is second only to the United States in absolute number of biotechnology companies. Among G7 countries, Canada has shown the fastest growth rate in the number of workers devoted to R&D;, external patent applications, and business expenditures on R&D.;
Source: InformationsSekreteriat Biotechnologie
A rapidly maturing industry with diversified products ( Table 1)
- Annual revenues of $3.6 billion in 2001, an increase of 339 per cent over 1997 annual revenues
- Number of biotech companies operating in Canada has increased to 375 in 2001 from 358 in 1999
- 48 per cent of Canada’s 375 biotech companies have substantial presence in agriculture biotech, aquatic and marine biosciences, bioinformatics, environment etc.
- Human health dominates the Canadian biotechnology scene, with the sector accounting for 52 per cent of the number of firms and 88 per cent of the total biotech R&D; spending (Table 2)
|
Table 1: Canadian Biotech Companies by Sector |
|
Sector |
% of Number of Firms |
|
Human Health |
52.0 |
|
Agriculture |
17.0 |
|
Food Processing |
13.0 |
|
Environment |
9.0 |
|
Natural Resources |
3.0 |
|
Bio Informatics |
3.0 |
|
Aquaculture |
3.0 |
|
Source: Statistics Canada, Biotechnology Use and Development Survey, 2001 |
|
Table 2: Biotech R&D; Distribution by Sector |
|
Sector |
% of the Total Biotech R&D; Spending |
|
Human Health |
88.0 |
|
Agriculture |
4.4 |
|
Food Processing |
3.6 |
|
Environment |
1.2 |
|
Natural Resources |
1.0 |
|
Bio Informatics |
1.6 |
|
Aquaculture |
0.2 |
|
Source: Statistics Canada, Biotechnology Use and Development Survey, 2001 |