Life Sciences & Health Sectors

Relative to its size as a medium-sized city of 400,000 people, Victoria, B.C.’s educated population, world-class institutions and robust scientific and research community, combined with its high quality of life, supreme weather (compared to the rest of Canada), and healthy and active population, position the region well for success in the talent-driven life sciences and health sectors.

Thirty-nine per cent of people aged 25 to 64 in Victoria have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 35% in British Columbia and 32.9 percent in Canada. Victoria has a higher proportion of graduates in several vocations related to life sciences: 

• Victoria has proportionally more people with sciences and science technology degrees (6.6%) than both B.C. (6.0 %) and Canada (5.4%);
• Victoria has a higher concentration of people with social and behavioural sciences degrees (13.7%) than B.C. (10.6%) and Canada (10.0%);
• Victoria also has more health-sector-related graduates (13.9 %) than both B.C. (12.9%) and Canada (12.6%) averages. 
• 33.6% of visible minorities in the Victoria area have a bachelor’s degree or higher, which means we attract a higher proportion of educated newcomers compared to both B.C. (28.5%) and Canada (26.7%).

These strengths have contributed to the establishment of a range of companies and organizations across the life sciences sectors in the region (see below). However, despite having major wins in sectors such as pharmaceuticals over the years (such as the acquisition of Aspreva by Vifor Pharma for $905M and the acquisition of Redlen by Canon for $340M) the region’s core competencies are really aligned toward:

1. Bio-medical engineering, medical technologies and materials innovation
2. Health Information Sciences (Informatics and Digital Health; including Healthy Aging)
3. Proteomics

The future of Greater Victoria’s life sciences sector is bright, bolstered by significant investments and strategic initiatives aimed at establishing British Columbia as an important hub. One key driver is the B.C. Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy, part of the StrongerBC Economic Plan. This strategy, released in May 2023, focuses on ensuring B.C.’s leading position in life sciences and biomanufacturing, aiming to develop commercial-scale biopharmaceutical and medical manufacturing.

In 2024, the South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP), Greater Victoria’s economic development alliance, produced an assessment of the region’s life sciences and health sectors. Based on secondary research along with stakeholder interviews, the report took an in-depth assessment of the region’s competencies, companies, support organizations and strategic investments to determine the potential of the sector and identify where gaps may exist to move it forward. Read the full report here.

Greater Victoria’s life sciences and health sectors are supported by an active ecosystem of organizations and institutions.

VILS is a volunteer, nonprofit society that brings together the life-sciences community in Victoria and around Vancouver Island and connects it with the global life-science community. As the lead voice of the sector on Vancouver Island, VILS nurtures the economic ecosystem, leads and develops sector-specific projects and collaborates with public and private partners.

UVic is the largest comprehensive university on Vancouver Island and one of the top-rated research institutions in Canada. UVic plays a pivotal role in life sciences through its research programs, providing expertise and facilities that support life sciences innovation. UVic’s biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering and health informatics programs also produce a steady stream of skilled graduates who contribute to the sector’s innovation and growth.

UVic has received many accolades, most recently:

• one of Canada’s top universities for global employability of graduates (see story from CHEK News) 
• #2 Ranked Comprehensive University in Canada (2025, Maclean’s)
• #1 in faculty awards among Canadian comprehensive universities (2025, Maclean’s)
• #1 in medical/science grants among Canadian comprehensive universities (2025, Maclean’s)
• #1 in North America for International Research Collaborations (Leiden University rankings)
• #2 in Canada for research in physical sciences and engineering (Leiden University rankings)

and many more here

CAMTEC is a research centre committed to interdisciplinary work on advanced materials and technology. The scope of this work covers a wide spectrum of research in theoretical and applied areas which is coordinated among the Departments of Chemistry, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, and Mathematics and Statistics. CAMTEC members work in close association with scientists and engineers from the private and public sectors to ensure technological transfer to industry.

IslandHealth is not just the provincially mandated healthcare agency for Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island but also a collaborator on various research and development projects. IslandHealth’s involvement in the economic ecosystem helps ensure that innovations are translated into practical healthcare solutions. See the Opportunities section to learn more about how to work with them.

CamosunInnovates operates the Camosun Technology Access Centre and Babcock Innovation Lab, where companies can come to get assistance on things such as 3D scanning, 3D printing, early-stage prototyping, testing and examination of materials for product improvement, and manufacturing process design and improvement. 

VIATEC is the lead convener and champion of the Greater Victoria region’s tech sector. According to VIATEC’s 2024 reporting, the sector boasts $5.9 billion in revenues across 1100 companies, with an overall economic impact of $7.9 billion. Across all subsectors, there are over 21,000 people working in tech in Victoria. Among many offerings, VIATEC delivers the Venture Acceleration Program (VAP), which many of the region’s startups and growth companies participated in over the years.

The BC Cancer Agency is involved in groundbreaking cancer research and treatment. Its work is crucial in advancing cancer therapies and improving patient outcomes. One of six centres is located in Victoria. BC Cancer’s immunotherapy team has developed the expertise and infrastructure to create genetically engineered immune cells (called CAR-T cells) for the treatment of life-threatening blood cancers. BC Cancer was the first academic group to produce and deliver CD19 CAR-T cells to cancer patients in Canada. CAR-T cells have revolutionized the treatment of certain leukemia and lymphomas, ushering in a new era in oncology where cancer patients with advanced disease are treated with genetically engineered immune cells instead of chemotherapy and other conventional approaches. To ensure Canadian cancer patients have access to this game-changing therapy, as well as the many related innovations that promise to follow, researchers at BC Cancer developed in-house expertise and infrastructure to produce and deliver this treatment all the way from the lab bench to the patient’s bedside.

Greater Victoria comprises 13 municipal jurisdictions. Some of these, such as the District of Saanich, have expressed commitment to supporting the Life Sciences sectors through their Economic Development Strategy. In fact, life sciences, healthcare and post-secondary education compose three of their top five priority sectors outlined on Page XV in the strategy, and explored in further detail on pages 17-19.

The City of Victoria has created a plan to establish an Industry, Arts and Innovation District in a predominantly low-use industrial/light industrial area of downtown known as Rock Bay. This plan, once endorsed, could make the combination of software and light industrial uses like prototyping and manufacturing, more appealing and easy to get going. 

Greater Victoria’s life sciences sector stands at the cusp of remarkable growth thanks to the success of key businesses like StarFish Medical and other recent innovations. The region offers numerous opportunities for stakeholders, startups, companies, and investors thanks to its unique strengths, including a highly skilled workforce, robust research infrastructure, and supportive government policies.

Greater Victoria is solidifying its position as an emerging hub for life sciences through investments and supportive programming. Examples include:

• BioManufacturing & Scaling Hub The 12,000 sq. ft hub will offer a state-of-the-art biomanufacturing and commercial scaling facility that will provide wet lab and clean room manufacturing space for small to medium-sized life science companies who are scaling up their organizations to commercialize products. See here for the funding announcement (and ask us about locating your company into the new hub, coming online soon).

• Innovation Lab @ IslandHealth Vancouver Island’s $3.2B central health authority has a commitment to bringing practitioners, programs and patients together to nurture innovations that can improve the delivery of client-centric healthcare. IslandHealth’s Innovation Lab includes resources and support to help assess and then bring ideas to life. It also features a large annual hackathon — Code Hack. See here to explore IslandHealth’s approach to innovation.

As the sector continues to evolve, the collaborative efforts of key players and the strategic utilization of available resources will be crucial in realizing its full potential and making a significant global impact.

Connect with us to explore further: office@southislandprosperity.ca