Overview of the Biotechnology Use and Development Survey - 2003

The main indicators of biotechnology activities in Canada are presented in this article. The data are from the 2003 Biotechnology Use and Development Survey. Within the last few years, except for the number of employees with biotechnology-related responsibilities that remained stable, an increase in all the indicators was noticed. For example, the number of innovative firms involved in biotechnology activities rose from 375 in 2001 to 490 in 2003 and biotechnology revenues rose from $3.6 billion to $3.8 billion between 2001 and 2003. Also, biotechnology R&D spending increased by 11% between 2001 and 2003 and the amount of capital raised for biotechnology was up 73% during this period.