Over 250 local Kingston businesses in Kingston and the Prescott-Russell county are set to benefit from new federal funding.
In a Feb. 19 news release, the Honourable Ruby Sahota, the minister responsible for Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, announced a $3.4 million investment for the Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) to put in place the s and critical assets life sciences companies need as they commercialize.
KEDC, established as a separately incorporated not-for-profit agency, will receive $3.4 million to launch the Kingston Life Sciences and Helix Funding initiatives, with grants ranging from $10,000 to $250,000 over the next three years. According to Ben McIlquham, KEDC’s investment manager of health innovation, an estimated $500,000 per year will be spent on the validation network.
In an interview with The Journal, McIlquham explained some of the organizations within the validation network include around 20 companies and organizations specializing in ing the health and life sciences spheres, including Queen’s organizations like the Research Discovery Network, and Centre for Advanced Computing.
The funding will create a 1,300-square-foot wet lab at Providence Care, designed for pre-clinical research. The lab will meet biosafety level two standards, suitable for studying moderate-risk infectious agents or toxins that pose a risk if inhaled, swallowed, or exposed to the skin. This initiative aims to address a long-standing gap in Kingston, where smaller companies and startups often struggle to access affordable lab space, according to McIlquham.
In a statement to The Journal, Allison Philpot, Providence Care’s vice-president system innovation and executive director medical affairs and research, explained how the closest wet labs are in larger cities like Toronto and Ottawa, making it difficult for local startups and researchers to develop and test new medical technologies.
“This $3.4 million investment into Kingston’s life sciences sector marks a significant step forward for Providence Care and the entire region. As part of this investment, Providence Care Hospital will be able to establish a wet lab, creating a much-needed space for health science research and innovation—right here in Kingston,” Philpot said.
The investment, according to McIlquham, aligns with both federal and provincial life science strategies, including the “Taking Life Sciences to the Next Level” strategy and Canada’s “Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy.”
The project’s success will be measured through several key performance indicators including ing 106 businesses over three years and generating at least five new intellectual properties or licenses, providing mentorship and training for over 25 companies, and helping more than 30 organizations bring at least three new companies from lab to market.
“I would say the biggest thing about this project was just the number of collaborators that wanted to participate on this was, you know, really neat. […] it’s great to see people coming together and wanting to [each other],” McIlquham said.
As Kingston continues to position itself as a hub for health and life sciences innovation, this investment marks a significant step toward fostering economic growth and technological advancement in the region.
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