Funding
Services
Coaching & Support
Tools & Resources
Impact
Strategic Vision
About
Who We Are
What We Do
Innovation Ecosystem
Subsidiaries
Not sure where to start?
Home > About > News > Life Sciences Week 2025: Showcasing Alberta’s Innovation Ecosystem
September 19, 2025
Life Sciences Week is back for its third year, running September 22–26.
Life Sciences Week is back for its third year, running September 22–26. With more than 50 community-led events across Edmonton and Calgary — from pitch competitions to lab tours and networking forums — the week has become a focal point and celebration for Alberta’s health and life sciences community.
“Life Sciences Week presents Alberta’s strengths, commitments, and opportunities in the health and life sciences sector,” says Katie Tetrault, business partner within Alberta Innovates’ Health Innovation team.
Life sciences are the branches of science that study living organisms and systems. Activities can range from research to commercial that contribute to human and animal health, support health systems, and drive innovation in the fields such as biotechnology, medical technology, and diagnostics. Health and life sciences are essential pillars of Alberta’s innovation ecosystem that benefit Alberta both economically and socially.
Inspired by Canada’s Global Biotech Week, Life Sciences Week started in 2023 by Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API) as means to engage Alberta’s local innovation community. Life Sciences Week has grown rapidly from 20 events and 1,000 attendees to over 70 events and 4,000 attendees over the past two years.
The week connects Alberta’s innovation community and beyond: industry leaders, policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, post-secondary administrators, students, media, and government representatives.
Events range from tours and panels to pitch competitions and showcases. Here are just a few of this year’s highlights:
Life sciences are quickly emerging as a new pillar of Alberta’s economy.
According to BioAlberta’s recent State of the Industry report, Alberta’s life sciences sector was estimated to include between 1,600 and 2,100 companies and organizations, employing between 22,000 and 30,000 individuals, and generating between $4.8 and $6.5 billion in annual revenue. In terms of gross domestic product contributions, Alberta’s life sciences sector contributed over CDN $4.8 Billion to gross domestic product between 2024-2025. This increase in economic impact is largely being driving by Alberta’s supportive environment for innovation and commercialization. This includes maintaining access to highly qualified personnel, ensuring sustainable funding mechanisms, improving the investment climate, and enhancing access to both local and inter-provincial markets. This provides confidence for companies to prioritize innovation, digital transformation, and AI-powered product development.
According to API CEO Andrew MacIsaac, “we have a sector that suddenly started rapidly growing […] It’s also bucking a trend here, too, because globally, there's a downturn in the life sciences that began in late 2021.”
For Albertans, this growth means more than just research. It means a stronger economy, healthier populations, venture growth, new partnerships, and access to markets. As Katie notes, it’s about turning ideas into real-world outcomes: “Life Sciences Week also focuses on implementation, and how we get these innovations into the health care system so that patients and end users can benefit.”
Life Sciences Week is an opportunity to share successes, learn business insights, build networks, and strengthen collaborations. This year, Alberta Innovates is sponsoring the Health & Life Sciences Partnerships Initiative in Calgary, which will feature global players like Siemens, and participating in the BioAlberta Health & Life Sciences Showcase in Edmonton. Earlier this year, Alberta’s government partnered with Siemens Healthineers and the Alberta Cancer Foundation to improve health outcomes for Albertans diagnosed with cancer through a $800 Million investment.
Beyond Life Sciences Week, Alberta Innovates supports the sector year-round with a range of funding, infrastructure, and partnership programs. Programs like LevMax-Health, Accelerating Innovations into CarE, and Digital4Health. These programs support applied research, venture growth, and health system access.
These efforts ensure Alberta’s discoveries move from early-stage research into healthcare solutions, strengthen companies, and build a more connected and resilient health innovation ecosystem.
“What excites our team most are partnership or collaborative models. When private and public organizations work together on big challenges, it accelerates innovation and brings global players to Alberta, we also recognize we cannot do everything ourselves. We need others to contribute their strengths,” explains Katie.
As Life Sciences Week continues to expand, Katie sees collaboration fueling innovation that strengthens Alberta’s future. Alberta is on a mission to support the development and commercialization of high-impact innovations that drive Alberta’s future economic and societal growth.
Explore the full schedule and register for events at lifesciencesweek.ca