Canadian Delegation Visits Madison to Strengthen Biohealth Partnerships
MADISON, Wis— BioForward Wisconsin welcomed representatives from the Government of Canada on Tuesday, September 9, for a high-level visit focused on advancing collaboration between Wisconsin’s biohealth industry and Canada’s growing life sciences and biomanufacturing clusters.
The delegation, led by Health Emergency Readiness Canada (HERC), along with colleagues from the Canadian Consulate in Chicago and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, met with Wisconsin leaders at Gilson’s global headquarters in Madison.
The visit brought together executives and administrators from across Wisconsin’s biohealth ecosystem, including BioForward Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Promega and Gilson.
Key discussion areas included:
• Ecosystem Building: Insights into how Wisconsin developed a robust biohealth industry and lessons for building thriving cross-border clusters.
• Emergency Readiness Strategies: Best practices and industry responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Cross-Border Opportunities: Exploration of potential partnerships to drive growth, innovation, and investment in life sciences across Canada and Wisconsin.
“Canada and Wisconsin share a commitment to strengthening health emergency preparedness and fostering innovation in the life sciences/biohealth sector,” said Nicolas Paris, Board President of BioForward Wisconsin and CEO of Gilson. “This visit was an opportunity to highlight Wisconsin’s successes while exploring synergies that can drive future collaboration.”
The discussions reinforced a shared vision for advancing research, biomanufacturing capabilities, and preparedness, laying the groundwork for future initiatives that connect Wisconsin’s biohealth strengths with Canada’s national priorities in health and emergency readiness.
About BioForward
BioForward Wisconsin represents more than 250 member organizations across an integrated network of health solution leaders, including research institutions, biotech and biopharma, digital health, healthcare systems, medical devices, and diagnostics. It is an action-oriented association that focuses on initiatives to strengthen the state’s biohealth industry. Learn more about BioForward Wisconsin at www.bioforward.org.
Media Contact:
Rissa Guffey (she/her)
Senior Director of Marketing & Communications
rguffey@bioforward.org
(608) 236-4693
