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Another Day, Another Bio

Last year's BIO was my first experience with the BIO organization and by far the largest single conference and trade show I've attended. San Diego put on a great show and I'm looking forward to what Atlanta has to offer. The logistics behind keeping 20,000 people organized and happy is a bit of a challenge and I don't envy them the task but I'm sure there are enough ex-Olympic volunteers around to make sure it goes off without a hitch. I found last year's BIO an interesting mix of science, industry, technology and academia. We had just announced our Tria Project to tackle the genomics of the Mountain Pine Beetle and had developed a new science poster which saw the first light of day in San Diego. Many people who came by the booth commented on it being a change to see some science at work with a little less salesmanship at play. I must admit that the number of attendees who really, really, wanted to sell me something was a bit overwhelming at times. It was also a bit 'off-putting' to be dumped so quickly when they realised that a not-for-profit genomics research funding organization was not a great customer for equipment or services. But it is a necessary mix and a necessary give and take. While we fund a range of fairly pure research projects we need a strong economy to help us find the funds we need. A strong private sector is important to partner with, and to help feed the supply line of needed talent and equipment for the projects we fund. If there were no entrepreneurs out there with the experience to take the results of our research and make it marketable, where would we be? Wiser? Yes. More knowledgeable? Definitely. Able to take the results of our Mountain Pine Beetle research to improve the health of our forest inudstry? Not likely. The health of the global economy has thrown a wrench into the mix and I'm interested in seeing how this plays out over the next few days here in Atlanta. Industry, academia, and government have to work together to keep the biotechnology sector strong enough to deliver its promise in the areas of healthcare and agriculture. U.S. President Obama seems to see investment in research as part of an engine of growth, while in Canada we're trying to come up with a science policy that takes our much smaller budget and rationalizes it in the best possible way. ( BTW, I'm on the organizing committee for a science policy conference trying to figure out our policy so visit us at www.sciencepolicy.ca ) Events such as BIO have the potential to bring a wide range of sectors together over the week to develop relationships and ideas to keep our industry healthy. It is a very different landscape than what we were working with last year and I'm not quite sure what to expect. But I'm here with more new science displays in hand, and ready to pitch - and of course be pitched.