I have to admit, the positive after-effects of EFFERVESCENCE stayed with me for days. This event did me a world of good! In addition to the sense of satisfaction related to the undeniable success of this second edition, as the figures and comments received demonstrate so well, rediscovering the pleasure of interacting face-to-face with the on-site team, panelists and contributors is a feeling I will savour for a long time. For those who were in studio, I believe the feeling was mutual and the excitement, palpable. And what about the pleasure of meeting, for the first time in over a year, the entire Montréal InVivo team for an enjoyable stroll in Old Montréal (two metres apart, of course)? This impromptu reunion of colleagues reminded me of the critical need to rethink the way we work in the months to come. We will no longer be 100% in the office, but we won’t be working remotely 100% of the time either. And it’s not because of productivity-related fears; we have all proven that we are very capable of working effectively when we work remotely. I actually think the office will become a place for socialization purposes and a place where corporate culture will be built and solidified. It will be a place where a new person can be properly welcomed onto the team, where the feeling of belonging to the team can be created.
After EFFERVESCENCE, we needed to mentally come back down to earth and quickly prepare two briefs for the federal government. The first paper, on biomanufacturing, was carried out in collaboration with BioQuébec, Montréal International, the Biotech City and Sherbrooke Innopole. The second paper was on a national plan for rare diseases and was the subject of an outstanding presentation given to the Board of Directors of Montréal InVivo. And in keeping with our actions carried out with the federal government, I co-signed with several Québec organizations an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take action on the issue of implementing a coherent federal life sciences strategy. Do not hesitate to sign the letter on the website dedicated to this issue.
Provincially, the strategic committees dedicated to implementing the Québec Life Sciences Strategy are being set up. This is our chance, as an industry sector, to deliver a message of unity to the Québec government and to provide these working groups with concrete and inspiring proposals. Montréal InVivo has a lot of content to offer in this context, with our own strategic committees already effectively representing the ecosystem as a whole. Also, the work focuses on common issues that affect the sector overall. But perhaps you have certain issues, proposals or concrete solutions that you would like to see brought to the table for discussion at the ministry’s strategic committees?
Please let us know.
Frank Béraud