Global Business Innovation Programme in Canada - Biomanufacturing of Biologics and Advanced Therapies

A GBIP has three stages:

Prepare for the market

Preparing for the market includes the cohort being briefed by sector and market experts on, for example, cultural aspects of conducting business in that country. Delegates receive help to find business partners and arrange meetings and are advised on best practice including the management and protection of their intellectual property.

Visiting the market

Visiting the market provides opportunities to attend pre-arranged meetings and activities in order to better understand and maximise the opportunities that the visit presents.

Exploiting the opportunity

Exploiting the opportunity is arguably the most important aspect of the programme. To maximise the opportunity, participating companies are given bespoke one-to-one support from an Innovate UK EDGE innovation and growth specialist to help develop and implement an action plan.

The Global Business Innovation Programme operates on a competitive basis and businesses selected are required to participate in all three stages (some or all of which may be online).

To apply, you must:

• Be a UK-based innovation-led company with ambitions to grow and expand overseas.
• Be a company with fewer than 500 employees.
• Be able to attend and complete all activities.

Canada has a rich ecosystem for biomanufacturing R&D and investment. It has specific strengths in RNA production, cell and gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and related delivery systems. With world-class academics, many R&D intensive SMEs, and clinical trial and manufacturing infrastructure, it is an ideal collaboration partner for the UK.

Following the signature of a joint Memorandum of Cooperation on biomanufacturing between Canada and the UK, this GBIP will support bilateral development and collaborations between both nations.

This programme is particularly relevant for businesses developing innovative technologies that enable the development and manufacture of novel biological therapeutic products and delivery systems, including, but not limited to:

• vaccines (prophylactic, therapeutic, various platforms)
• therapeutic proteins
• advanced therapy medicinal products, including messenger RNA, small interfering RNA, gene therapies, cell therapies, engineered tissues
• other biological based therapies, such as bacteriophage or engineered probiotics
• viral and non-viral, for example Lipid Nano Particles (LNP) platforms, including their components and payloads, as delivery systems for proteins and nucleic acids

Innovate UK and Innovate UK EDGE will fund and organise flights, accommodation, and any conference fees for successful applicants. Innovate UK will also pay for any reasonable adjustments throughout the initiative. Only one representative from each company will be funded.

On acceptance, a commitment fee of £500 will be obtained from each delegate, which will be refunded on completion of the full activities and agreed action plan. Non-completion after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all the commitment fees.

Register for the applicant briefing event on Wednesday 16 August 2023 at 1500 – 1600 (online).

Closing date for application: Wednesday 13th September 2023 at 5pm
Two-day pre-visit workshop: 12th – 13th October 2023
Innovation visit: Sunday 12th – Saturday 18th November 2023
Exploitation workshop: Tuesday 16th January

For more information, assistance with your application or to discuss accessibility needs, please contact Molly Foulger at molly.foulger@innovateukedge.ukri.org or call +44 (0)20 3108 8957.