OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 24, 2026--
BIOTECanada concluded BIONATION 2026 this week at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, convening senior biotechnology and life sciences leaders with policymakers, elected officials, investors, researchers, and partners for two days of discussion on the sector’s strategic role in Canada’s economy, health security, and competitiveness.
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This year’s program focused on what it takes for Canadian biotechnology companies to grow from Canada, compete globally, and bring innovation closer to patients. Discussions examined access to investment capital, efficient regulatory pathways, market access, dual-use life sciences technologies, and AI-enabled drug development, with early-stage companies sharing candid perspectives on the decisions they face as they scale while global pharmaceutical companies highlighted their contributions to Canada's innovation ecosystem and their role in bringing new therapies to Canadian patients.
“ BIONATION made clear that Canada’s biotechnology sector isn’t waiting for the future, it’s building it now, ” said Wendy Zatylny, President and CEO of BIOTECanada. “ There was a real sense of Canadian pride in the room, but also a clear understanding that success doesn’t happen by accident. The right policy, investment, regulatory, and access conditions will determine how much of this innovation reaches patients and creates value here at home, including evaluation and pricing frameworks that recognize the full value of innovation while supporting timely access to new therapies.”
BIONATION also featured the BIOTECanada Gold Leaf Awards, recognizing outstanding Canadian leadership and achievement across the biotechnology sector. This year’s recipients were Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Biotech Company of the Year; Ripple Therapeutics, Promising Biotech Company of the Year; Dr. Allen Eaves, Industry Leadership; Dr. Massimiliano Paganelli and Dr. Claudia Raggi, Community Leadership; and Gordon McCauley, Leadership.
“BIONATION reflects the strength and ambition of Canada’s biotechnology sector, ” said Oliver Technow, Chair of the BIOTECanada Board of Directors. “ The forum brought members and decision-makers into direct conversation about what companies need to build and grow in Canada. This year’s discussions reinforced the scale of the opportunity before Canada and the urgent importance of ensuring Canadian innovation is supported, scaled, and positioned to compete globally. ”
As countries compete for talent, investment, health security, and life sciences capacity, BIONATION reinforced biotechnology’s strategic importance to Canada. BIOTECanada will continue working with members, government, and sector partners to support the conditions that help Canadian innovations reach patients and create value here at home.
About BIOTECanada
BIOTECanada is the national industry association voice. With over 200 members, the Association’s membership is representative of the broader Canadian biotech ecosystem which is national in scope and comprised of pre-commercial biotech companies, global pharma and biotech companies, investors, incubator and accelerator organizations, and academia. In the context of global population growth and corresponding climate change, food sustainability, and human health needs, the biotechnology industry plays a vital role in developing solutions to help address the resulting human health and environmental challenges. Visit: biotech.ca
Wendy Zatylny, President & CEO | Présidente et Directrice générale, BIOTECanada
Israel's increasingly isolated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly, but no meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump is planned.
Hamas says it is ready to move forward with the next stages of a Gaza peace agreement, while a top European Union official says only a small amount of the funds needed to rebuild the Gaza Strip has been collected.
Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.
The Israeli prime minister's brief stay in New York for the U.N. General Assembly includes meetings with several world leaders — but not Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or any Arab leaders.
Netanyahu's office said he was on a “tight schedule” and needed to return to Israel before the start of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which begins at sundown on Friday.
He will meet with the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Ethiopia, the vice president of Colombia, and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia, and Papua New Guinea, according to his office.
A Hamas spokesman said the group is ready to move forward with the next steps of a peace agreement, after Trump’s Board of Peace unveiled a six-month, $2.45-billion plan for Gaza's reconstruction. The board announced the proposal in New York on Wednesday.
The Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qassem, expressed the Palestinian militant group’s “full readiness to implement the Board of Peace’s roadmap” but made no mention of any disarmament plans.
Israel has said it will not allow reconstruction to move forward until Hamas disarms.
Hamas last year agreed to a plan that includes disarmament but has since traded accusations with Israel of ceasefire violations and has accused Israel of violating the agreement by continuing to occupy much of Gaza.
Hamas has publicly backed handing over power to Palestinian administrators operating under the Board of Peace. Board officials have blamed Hamas' failure to disarm and a lack of Israeli withdrawal as reasons for stalling progress in advancing reconstruction in Gaza.
A top EU official says only 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) has been raised out of the 71 billion euros ($80.8 billion) that the United Nations, the World Bank and the 27-nation European Union estimate are needed to rebuild Gaza.
“All of us, we have to scale up our efforts,” said European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica, speaking on the sidelines of the General Assembly. She called for a unified recovery plan that would bring together Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the U.S.-backed Board of Peace, and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The U.N. pleaded for all parties in Yemen to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered rapidly as fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces intensifies an already dire humanitarian situation.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said people fleeing violence need protection and access to food, shelter and healthcare. Ground fighting, artillery and aerial strikes have killed and wounded at least 125 civilians since the beginning of August.
Türk also called for the release of 73 U.N. staffers “arbitrarily detained” by the Houthis in the past few years.
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted six missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.
The kingdom’s military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said Thursday the ballistic missiles were intercepted and destroyed. He said the missiles had targeted the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and the southwestern city of Taif.
The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify al-Maliki’s claim.
A moderate earthquake shook southeast Turkey and parts of Syria on Thursday, sending people rushing out of buildings in panic. There were no immediate reports of any damage.
The magnitude 5.4 quake was centered in Sanliurfa province, near the border with Syria, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency.
In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces, including Sanliurfa. Another 6,000 people were killed in Syria.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
Palestinians walk amid war-damaged buildings in Gaza City, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Likud party New Year event in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
