A high calibre centre of health innovation excellence
History
The Ottawa Health Innovation Hub is a key strategic initiative of the National Capital Region’s health research and innovation community.
The Hub was conceived in 2019 and a memorandum of understanding between the partner organizations was renewed in July 2021.
Mission
Nurture a robust and innovative local health and life sciences ecosystem that supports research collaboration, the commercialization of discoveries and helps entrepreneurs to start and grow the next generation of high growth firms.
The Hub will provide a supported path to commercial success through access to R&D collaboration, entrepreneurial training, regulatory support, investors and leading research, clinical & commercialization infrastructure.
Value Proposition
Partner Organizations
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Leadership Team
Ken Lawless, MSc
Senior Director
Ken Lawless has been very active in promoting investment in, and commercialization of, life sciences companies and technologies in Canada throughout his career. He is currently the Executive Director of the Ottawa Health Innovation Hub. He has served as President and CEO of Epitope Capital Corp. a privately held consulting company and is a former CEO of BioDiesel Reactor Technologies Inc. He was the Founding President and CEO of the Ottawa Life Sciences Council (OLSC) from its inception in 1994 until 2006.
During his career, has helped over 150 life sciences companies with incubation, partnerships, and financing. He has served on numerous private and not-for-profit boards, expert panels, task forces and selection panels including vice chair of the Health Standards Organization (HSO) and co-chair of Accreditation Canada. He currently sits on the board of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and its venture capital arm FACIT.
He graduated from the University of Ottawa with an M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1986, and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry in 1983.
Blair Patacairk
Senior Advisor Strategic and Business Innovation, uOttawa
Over the past 20 years Blair Patacairk has held the titles of President, Consider Canada City Alliance (CCCA); Vice President Global Expansion for Invest Ottawa; President and CEO of Telecom Gateway Services Inc (TGS), a full service international business development consulting firm; Government Affairs for the Centre for Next Generation Networks (CENGN), a non-profit he initially co-started; and currently as Senior Advisor Strategic and Business Innovation at uOttawa, within the Office of the Vice President Research and Business Development.
He has been engaged as a special advisor to multiple companies, government, and economic development agencies in the areas of foreign direct investment, trade and government relations. He brings a wealth of knowledge on strategic partnerships and growing both SMEs and Fortune 500 companies. During the course of his career, he has been successful in the facilitation of attracting billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs to Canada/Ottawa.
He is the recipient of Ottawa’s Forty Under 40 business award and North America’s Top 50 award for economic development. Blair volunteers his time at numerous organizations and shares his experience as a business and marketing/communications mentor to students at local universities, colleges and high schools.