CQDM enters joint program with Massachusetts centre

The Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery (CQDM) has entered a cross-border partnership with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Centre (MLSC), Waltham MA to support late-stage R&D companies from the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical devices, diagnostics and bioinformatics sectors. The agreement will see the creation of the International Collaborative Industry Program (ICIP) aimed at increasing innovation, productivity, investment and job creation. CQDM has $2 million and will use it to fund 50% of the Quebec portion of projects up to $500,000, with matching funds from participating companies. MLSC will fund Massachusetts firms up to the same amount under the same matching conditions. MLSC is a quasi-public agency established in 2008 as part of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Act — a 10-year, $1 billion initiative. CQDM is a Business-Led Network of Centres of Excellence and the only one of four BL-NCEs that was successfully refunded earlier this year (R$, February 21/13)….