The Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have signed a ground-breaking Letter of Intent (LOI) to Cooperate on Research and Innovation Initiatives today at the BIO International Convention in Washington, DC. The LOI recognizes the two provinces' history of cooperation in areas such as electricity, transportation and emergency response, and focuses on key priority areas of mutual interest in the research and innovation areas:

• Crop agriculture
• Bioenergy, bioproducts and environment
• Human and animal health

The Life Science Association of Manitoba (LSAM) and Ag-West Bio Inc., the biotechnology sector membership organizations in both provinces, applaud the nature of the LOI.

"We work very closely with organizations in the sector in Manitoba and have a reciprocal agreement with Ag-West Bio in Saskatchewan. Having the Provinces officially state their commitment to working together in the biotech sector is a very positive step forward," said Tracey Maconachie, President of LSAM.

A Bi-Provincial Genomics Innovation Summit was organized by Genome Prairie and held in Winnipeg on October 13 -14, 2010. The event was well attended and supported by the Governments of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, industry and academic representatives. The discussions focused on key bi-provincial priority areas, all of which appeared in the LOI signed today.

Wilf Keller, President and CEO of Ag-West Bio and Genome Prairie, said, "The Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba should be commended for their dedication to work together on research and innovation initiatives in areas of mutual interest. Although they work together on many levels already, this signifies their recognition of the importance of the bioscience sector. Both Ag-West Bio and Genome Prairie are pleased to continue their work with LSAM and the provincial governments to promote research and innovation initiatives and to increase the socio-economic benefits for both provinces."

Image with caption: "Minister Harrison (SK), Minister Chomiak (MB) and Minister Norris (SK) sign a LOI to Cooperate on Research and Innovation Initiatives June 28, 2011 during the International BIO conference in Washington, DC. (CNW Group/Genome Prairie)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110628_C9953_PHOTO_EN_01.jpg

For further information:

Carol Reynolds
Director, Communications and Government Relations
Genome Prairie
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 241-9033

Jackie Robin
Communications Director
Ag-West Bio Inc.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 975-1939

Stephen Szczerba
Manager, Health Industries
Life Science Association of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 272-5094