When we think of the month of June, we think of BIO, the international convention held annually in the United States. Again this year, we will have BIO Digital to look forward to, a digital version of this high mass for our sector, a version somewhat lacking… Business meetings in the Québec-Canada pavilion (always very remarkable), strolling through the aisles of the exhibition, visits and meetings at the booths of foreign delegations and partners… I miss the whole scene. This atmosphere generated by the actual presence of industry players is very tough to recreate digitally. On its own scale, Montréal InVivo created a platform of virtual meetings for its very recent Annual General Meeting. We wanted to give some 85 people present the possibility to meet somewhat spontaneously and engage in discussions as we would do at an in-person event. Thanks to all of you who joined; I hope you enjoyed the event.
June will also be the month in which the two workshop meetings are held in connection with the update of the Quebec Life Sciences Strategy. After identifying the existing issues (old and new), we will work on possible solutions. It is a very important exercise, because we will be discussing solutions to very serious issues facing the sector, including support for entrepreneurship in life sciences, the development of connected health, enhancing skills in the fields of data science, etc.
The matter of access to health data will also be top of mind in this summer’s discussions. It is another critical issue for all of us, especially in the context of a potential bill this fall on the issue. I believe we have our work cut out for us in better explaining precisely what access to health data is. What kinds of data are involved? For what purpose? In what context? In what governance structure? Under what conditions? With what roles and obligations for the industry? And that’s not all. At Montréal InVivo, we have set about to bring together the sector’s driving forces to work together to demystify this issue that will define the potential future of life sciences in Quebec in the years to come. Any help and suggestions are welcome as we advance this issue.
Frank Béraud