26th Annual 2024 Life Sciences BC Awards
presented by Farris
The annual Life Sciences BC Awards presented by Farris provide a unique opportunity for British Columbia’s life sciences community to come together to celebrate its many accomplishments and recognize the tireless efforts of those who have dedicated their careers to advancing health innovations. As Canada’s fastest-growing life sciences sector, our BC ecosystem is stronger than ever before and experiencing unprecedented momentum.
This year, the Deal of the Year returns! The LSBC Award nominations are open to individuals, companies, and organizations involved in the human life sciences sector, including research and discovery, biotech, digital health , diagnostics, medical device technologies, AI, and strategic business leadership. The awards aim to recognize the achievements of those who have successfully translated discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside and/or made significant contributions to the sector, with the ultimate goal of improving patients’ lives.
The recipients of these awards are nominated by their industry peers and selected by a distinguished panel of judges comprising life sciences leaders. Fill out a nomination form today and learn more about Award Guidelines below, or contact Rosabel Bong, our Manager, Marketing & Communications for more information.
Applications are now closed.
The 2024 Life Sciences BC Award winners are:
Company & Organizational Awards
Company of the Year: Aspect Biosystems
Emerging Company of the Year: Augurex
Strategic Partner of the Year: The University of British Columbia – School of Biomedical Engineering
Deal of the Year: Chinook Therapeutics
Individual Awards
Dr. Don Rix Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Richard Glickman
Milton Wong Community Leadership Award: Joseph Garcia
Scientific Entrepreneurship Award: Dr. Robert Young
Genome BC Award for Scientific Excellence: Dr. Raymond Ng
Companies to Watch – Recognition Honour Roll*:
HEALWELL AI
Kapoose Creek Bio
Mesentech
Reverb Therapeutics
SeraGene Therapeutics
VoxCell BioInnovation
* This recognition is not an award but highlights outstanding companies to take note of and watch.
2024 Award Categories
Applications are now closed.
Click on the awards below for details. Please note, awards may vary from year to year.
EMERGING COMPANY OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to a company which has demonstrated outstanding performance, realized significant milestones, and is positioned well for future commercial success.
Companies from life sciences are encouraged to be nominated for this award. Because of the very different paths to success for different applicants (e.g., molecule companies that require tens of millions in capital before any thought of commercialization vs software companies that can have revenues in their first year of operations), the selection criteria for this award will be adapted to be appropriate to what ‘emerging’ means for the industry of each candidate.
Qualification
To qualify for this award, the company:
- Must have headquarters and/or significant operations in BC with at least 50% of their FTEs (employees /FTEs including consultants) in BC
- Must have at least 10 FTEs at the time of nomination
- Must have at least 3 years of financial results
Award Criteria
- Strong market position/opportunity and/or strategic advantages that have positioned it for success and/or has a product/technology that has been recognized by the market as a solution to an important problem.
- Achieved at least 2 of the following significant milestones:
- Financing
- Licensing
- Commercialization or Product launch(es)
- Regulatory
- Developmental
STRATEGIC PARTNER OF THE YEAR
This award acknowledges an organization that has significantly and consistently contributed to the success of companies active in the BC life sciences sector.
This award highlights the positive engagement with the sector that has directly resulted from active agreements and/or collaboration that this organization maintains in BC.
Qualification
To qualify for this award, the organization:
- Must be a service provider to the BC life sciences sector
- May be located inside or outside of BC
Award Criteria
- Recognized for their commitment of promoting and supporting the life sciences sector in BC
- Contributed significantly to the development or success of the BC life sciences sector within one or more of the following example areas:
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Product Development
- Infrastructure and/or supply chain
- Has had positive impact on more than one organization in the BC life sciences sector
DEAL OF THE YEAR
This award honours an individual or an organization that from April – March has positively impacted the life sciences sector in BC. Organizations eligible to win this award include, but are not limited to, the areas of law, finance, accounting, economic development, incubation, clinical research, and consulting. This award is also open to significant collaborations, transactions, or innovations that have taken place with companies in the life sciences sector.
Award Criteria
- Advisor and/or engagement in a major transaction that had a transformative impact on a business (wider business impact, such as the development of new markets, products, services and/or technologies and the creation or retention of quality employment opportunities in BC)
- Advisor or organization has proven to offer quality services and/or solutions as recognized by collaborators
- Advisor or organization has proven ability to demonstrate return on investment
- Proven ability to present creative and innovative solutions that benefit BC’s life sciences community in the short and long term
COMPANY OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to an outstanding company for its leadership and achievements that are significantly strengthening the BC life sciences sector.
Qualification
To qualify for this award, the company:
- Must have headquarters in BC and/or majority of its operations here
- Must have at least 4 years of financial results
- Must have cumulatively secured capital of greater than $25M or annual revenue is in excess of $5M
- Must have at least 25+ FTEs (employees or FTEs including consultants) at the time of nomination
Award Criteria
- Strong overall performance, including:
- Revenue growth (sales, licensing, services)
- Achievement of major milestone(s)
- Significant fundraising success
- Product launch(es)
- Other outstanding achievements
- Excellent and proven execution of business strategies
- Demonstration of effective leadership following a clear vision
- Leading edge HR and EDI practices
- Active contribution to BC’s life sciences ecosystem
DR. DON RIX LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
This award is presented to an exceptional senior executive individual in celebration of a decades-long, outstanding career in the life sciences sector.
The individual’s contributions may be a new innovation, new knowledge, or ways to improve professional practice. The performance will be based on several factors including financing, partnerships, accomplishments of milestones, and growth.
Qualification
To qualify for this award, the individual:
- May be retired or semi-retired, but may still be active in the industry in some capacity
- May currently be living outside of B.C, however, has made the majority of their contributions in B.C.
Award Criteria
- Lasting impact of contribution(s) throughout their career
- Demonstration of leadership and inspiration to others in the sector
- Mentored young and upcoming members of the life sciences community
- Overcoming of obstacles throughout their career
- Positive influence on the sector on a provincial and national level
- Involved in significant deals that benefited both B.C. life sciences sector and sector as a whole
MILTON WONG COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD
This award is designed to recognize an individual inside or outside the direct life sciences and biotechnology industry in British Columbia who has demonstrated a significant contribution to the development of the Community.
This award highlights the accomplishments of a person who has impacted and strengthened relationships with external supporters favoring the sector.
Qualification
To qualify for this award, the individual:
- Must be a senior leader in a for-profit or not-for-profit organization
- May be working directly or indirectly in the BC life sciences industry (i.e., could be working at a services firm)
Award Criteria
- Plays an active and continuous positive role in in the life sciences community
- Has a track record of significant achievement in a leadership role
- Contributes significantly to the development or success of the BC community
- Is recognized for their commitment to promoting and supporting collaboration in the life sciences industry in B.C.
- Makes a positive impact on more than one organization inside and/or outside the B.C. life sciences community
- Takes a leadership role in promoting equity and inclusivity
SCIENTIFIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD
This award is presented to an exceptional scientific entrepreneur from one of British Columbia’s research or scientific institutions in recognition of their role in helping translate the discoveries and innovations from the bench to society and ultimately to patients, and their contribution to building our ecosystem and economy.
Qualification
To qualify for this award, the individual must:
- Be active in a BC research, scientific, or academic institution at the time of selection
- Be actively engaged with a life sciences company at the time of nomination
Award Criteria
An active scientist or a scientist with active ties with BC research, scientific, or academic institution(s) who:
- Discovered and/or developed a solution to address a significant unmet need in life sciences
- Launched one or more successful SME(s), commercializing the discovery or innovation
- Demonstrates leadership in scientific entrepreneurship
- Mentors young and upcoming scientists to become successful scientific entrepreneurs
- Is recognized as having influence on the sector
COMPANIES TO WATCH – RECOGNITION HONOUR ROLL
This recognition is for early-stage companies for their outstanding achievements over the past year that make them stand out from their peers.
Qualification
To qualify for this reward, the Company:
- Must have headquarters and/or significant operations in BC
- Must have at least 1 year of financial results
Recognition Criteria
Meet at least 2 of the following significant milestones:
- Financing
- Licensing
- Regulatory
- Developmental
- Commercialization or Product launch(es)
GENOME BC AWARD FOR SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE
This award honours an individual located in BC who has received significant national or international recognition in the field of genomics/omics including bioinformatics and systems biology.
Award Criteria
- Scientific contribution to advancing the relevant fields of genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, or systems biology, including both the scientific task and how that task contributed to the resolution of the issue
- Multiple successful and key efforts utilizing original techniques or research methods in the relevant fields
- Monumental work or ground-breaking discovery or innovation
- Commitment to collaborative and interdisciplinary research
- Technical and/or non-technical scientific achievement and/or challenge
- New successfully executed research of national and/or international importance
- Proven outcomes, benefits and/or extraordinary results and/or basis of implemented of commercialized innovative solution
Award Nomination Guidelines
- Awards are only open to individuals and organizations that work and operate in the life sciences sector in BC, unless otherwise specified in the category criteria.
- Awards are open to LSBC members only, except individual awards and selection for the Companies to Watch: Recognition Honour Roll .
- All nominations are first received by Life Sciences BC who will confirm the eligibility of the nominee and review the nomination form before the nomination is reviewed by the adjudication committees. The adjudication committees are made up of distinguished leaders in the life sciences sector.
- The consideration period for the 2024 awards is from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.
- Previous winners may receive an award in another category after two further years have passed.
- All nominations must be re-submitted annually to be considered. It is the nominator’s responsibility to keep a nomination current.
- Nominations are to be submitted through an online form which can be found on this webpage.
- The maximum word count for all nominations is 500 words.
- Upon submission, all nominations become the property of Life Sciences BC and will be kept confidential.
- The identities of nominees will not be made public unless they win the award.
- Decisions are final and may not be appealed.
- Before announcing the winner, Life Sciences BC will determine that the nominee is willing to receive the award.
- Life Sciences BC will not make posthumous awards.
- If nominated, serving members of the adjudication committees will be prohibited from participating in the adjudication of the respective award.
- The adjudication committees are under no obligation to grant an award in any category where, in its opinion, the quality of the nominations received does not warrant it. The committees may, at its discretion, select a nominee as the award recipient in a category other than the one(s) in which they have been nominated if they feel their achievements better suit another category.
- Nominators should not expect, nor ask for, Life Sciences BC staff to assist in the preparation of a nomination beyond general advice concerning the process, dates for submission and/or proper forms to use/submit. Life Sciences BC staff will not offer opinions as to a nomination’s chances of success.