Arianne Trudeau, ASC, Executive Director of the Eastern Canada Pandemic Preparedness Hub (ECaPPH), represented the five Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) hubs at the Health Emergency Readiness Canada (HERC) workshop titled Health Innovation as a Driver of Economic Security – Spotlight on Canadian Innovation.
United under the CanPIVOT initiative, the five hubs are working collaboratively to strengthen Canada’s ability to prepare for, adapt to, and respond to emerging health threats through a national multisectoral approach.
Together, the hubs have established a national portfolio of 19 funded projects across the country, representing a total investment of $574 million over four years. This integrated continuum spans surveillance and detection, the development of diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as innovation in biomanufacturing processes and production capacity.
The five CBRF hubs are:
- Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (University of British Columbia)
- CBRF PRAIRIE Hub for Pandemic Preparedness (University of Alberta)
- Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases (HI³) (University of Toronto)
- Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub (University of Ottawa and McMaster University)
- Eastern Canada Pandemic Preparedness Hub (Université de Montréal)
The workshop highlighted the strength of national collaboration in pandemic preparedness and the importance of building long-term health innovation capabilities across Canada.