BioHubNet Receives $19 Million in Federal Funding to Address HQP Shortage in Biomanufacturing
(L-R) Gilbert Walker, Molly Shoichet and Darius Rackus (supplied images)
Published: May 6, 2024
By: Luella Chow
Biomanufacturing Hub Network (BioHubNet), an immersive talent development program led by U of T University Professor Molly Shoichet and Scientific Director of PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine, along with co-leads Gilbert Walker, Professor of Chemistry at U of T, and Darius Rackus, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University, has been awarded $18.9 million in federal funding from the Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF). This significant investment aims to address the severe shortage of industry-ready highly qualified personnel (HQP) in the biomanufacturing sector over the next four years.
BioHubNet is one of the four research programs in the Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases (HI3) that has received $72 million in federal funding from the Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF). This infusion of capital not only bolsters the nation’s biomanufacturing capacity but also reinforces its resilience against emerging health threats.
Molly Shoichet underscores the urgency of expanding Canada's pipeline of skilled research talent, stating, “Canada’s future as a leader in bio-innovation depends on having highly qualified workers, yet the sector is predicted to face severe workforce shortages in the coming years. By expanding the pipeline of skilled research talent in Canada, BioHubNet will accelerate the translation of promising discoveries from bench to market and ensure that this country’s biomanufacturing sector continues to grow and attract further international investment.”
Darius Rackus echoes this sentiment and says, “BioHubNet is a very comprehensive program targeting different industry-identified problems related to training that will help grow and expand Canada's biomanufacturing sector.”
To tackle this pressing shortage of industry-ready talent head-on, BioHubNet will leverage its 26 industry and training partners, spanning multinational corporations and local biotech firms alongside five Ontario colleges. Together, they will spearhead the development of comprehensive training programs and curricula, providing hands-on learning experiences to HQP, such as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and others, preparing them for seamless integration into industrial roles.
The timing of this funding couldn’t be more critical. With projections indicating a staggering shortfall of skilled workers in the biomanufacturing sector, with only a quarter of the required positions anticipated to be filled by 2029, BioHubNet aims to bridge this gap by nurturing nearly 1,000 highly skilled workers through micro-credential courses, industry internships, academic exchange placements, and entrepreneurial training.
Gilbert Walker envisions the transformative impact of this initiative, stating, “The outputs of this training program – industry-ready HQP – will contribute to the operation and growth of Canada’s biomanufacturing and life sciences sector broadly. By investing in the cultivation of HQP, we are poised to create a river of innovations across the entire bioprocess spectrum.”
Embedded within BioHubNet’s mission is a steadfast commitment to create more equitable and inclusive participation in the biomanufacturing sector. Through intentional recruitment and active support for underrepresented groups, BioHubNet aims to cultivate a diverse talent pool that reflects the rich tapestry of the Canadian life science ecosystem.
In addition to BioHubNet, three other research programs have also received funding:
The Integrated Network for the Surveillance of Pathogens: Increasing Resilience and capacity in Canada’s pandemic response (INSPIRE) based at the University of Windsor. Co-led by Windsor professor Mike McKay and University of Guelph professor Lawrence Goodridge, the INSPIRE program leverages community-level wastewater surveillance data, infrastructure and expertise to monitor the arrival and spread of infectious threats. The program also received infrastructure funding from BRIF to implement technologies and processes across its network that will streamline wastewater surveillance efforts to be more rapid, agile and sensitive. Importantly, these infrastructure supports will expand wastewater monitoring capacity in northern Ontario and at the Windsor-Detroit border to strengthen supply chains.
The Prepare, React, Collect, Innovate, Share and Engage (PRECISE) Diagnostic Platform, based at Sinai Health and co-led by Jennie Johnstone and Anne-Claude Gingras, will advance a comprehensive, streamlined approach for responding to emerging threats by driving the timely development of rapid diagnostic tools that will scale up testing capacity and reduce reliance on global supply chains.
The Pandemic Preparedness Engaging Primary Care and Emergency Departments (PREPARED) program, based at Unity Health Toronto and led by Andrew Pinto, aims to engage primary care clinics and emergency departments across the country to enhance disease monitoring, improve patient care and health system efficiency, accelerate the development of medical countermeasures and boost recruitment to clinical trials.
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