According to a document obtained by Radio-Canada, the organizing group wants to turn it into a science center, using both the infrastructure and possibly the company’s former professionals. The project requires investments of more than US$250 million, which the federal and provincial governments must collaborate on through their various research and innovation grant programs.
Local organizations want to take over Medicago facilities
EMISSION ICI PREMIÈRE • It’s even better in the afternoon
Local organizations want to take over Medicago’s facilities. 10-minute audio content, ICI Premiere broadcast. listen to audio.
Duration 10 minutes09:45
The city of Quebec is also involved in the process of occupying the vacated areas. When asked about the issue, Mayor Bruno Marchand says the city’s share has not yet been determined, but could include tax breaks or contributions.
I think there is a nice project there. We are able to create wealth, economic development and science, and respond to economic interests. And it underscores the quality and greatness of the actors that are in there, he notes. The mayor adds that the plan was presented to Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon two months ago.
Lips are sealed
There is still considerable silence on the file given the confidential nature of the ongoing negotiations, but the spokesman for the research center confirmed that discussions on the issue are indeed taking place.
Québec International also declares in writing that it will take part in these discussions. Andy Sheldon, the organization’s chairman of the board, is also a past president and CEO of Medicago.
INO’s President and CEO, Alain Chandonnet, also confirmed his interest.
The Université Laval also responded in writing, emphasizing its openness to exploring new ways of participating in knowledge development. Without giving details, she confirms that she will participate in mobilizing the community to find a new calling for Medicago infrastructures.
The federal government had invested tens of millions of dollars in Medicago during the pandemic (file photo).
Photo: Radio Canada/Carl Boivin
For its part, the office of Canada’s Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, has confirmed that it has received the Quartet’s plan. His spokesman reiterated that the priority is to keep intellectual property in the country.
In April, the minister also acknowledged the possibility that Laval University could benefit in part from the company’s Beauport facilities.
Are there other candidates?
However, the Champagne-based company also indicates that this is not the only plan on the table, without stating the number, and that in the end it will be up to the owner of the plants, the Japanese company Mitsubishi, to decide.
Ahead of the release, Quebec Minister of Economy spokesman Pierre Fitzgibbon would neither confirm nor deny the information on the consortium’s plan, saying he had not commented on the pending filings and that the announcement would be made at a reasonable time.
But on Thursday morning, at the end of Question Time, the minister confirmed that the plan for a biomedical center was being examined. We want to keep three things. We want to keep the IP [propriété intellectuelle]”We want an existing laboratory and we want the building to be used for biomedical research,” he says.
Economy, Innovation and Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon during a press crowd at the National Assembly (file photo).
Photo: Radio Canada / Sylvain Roy Roussel
In February, Pierre Fitzgibbon realized that there were few potential buyers for Medicago. Otherwise, it’s very likely that Mitsubishi, the owner of Medicago, would have found a buyer on its own without the help of the federal and provincial governments.
Seeing a Medicago as he was is not going to happen. It will be a small Medicago. There are researchers who are there and there are people who are qualified. There is high quality IP, we may have a more modest version of Medicago, the minister added on Thursday.
Make Québec a hub for biopharmaceutical research
Of particular interest to the research center and INO are clean rooms, controlled and sterile environments used to develop high-tech, medical and pharmaceutical products.
According to the document, the CRCHUQ-UL had just submitted a project to expand the Enfant Jesus Hospital to include new clean rooms. Therefore, using Medicago’s existing infrastructure could prevent the government from doubling down on its investments.
Clean rooms are also used in the aerospace industry.
Photo: Associated Press
Research center researchers specialize in human tissue bioproduction, vaccines and tests for rapid diagnosis of infections. Access to Medicago’s facilities would strengthen this positioning domestically and internationally.
The human tissue biofabrication platform, a research center specializing in tissue engineering, would occupy 1000 m2 of clean rooms. The $32.8 million required to complete the project has already been secured by CRCHUQ-UL.
The hope is to develop the ability to reproduce tissues and organs using patients’ cells, making the risk of transplant rejection virtually nil.
The other component of the research center is the bioproduction of Vaccin Québec, which would also require 1,000 m2 of clean rooms. Of the $67 million needed to complete the project, only $6 million is actually secured by the two tiers of government.
Medicago developed vaccines using tobacco plants.
Photo: Associated Press/Matt Rourke
This component will allow the CRCHUQ-UL to develop proprietary batches of vaccines for phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.
INO is also interested in clean rooms. With his project for an industrialization center for advanced photonics, he also wants to occupy most of it, 5000 m2. For the realization of his project, he estimates financing of 125 million dollars, 25 million of which will come from his own pocket.
By utilizing the infrastructures, the institute hopes to accelerate its development plan for medical devices and instruments while complying with the numerous norms and standards of the biomedical and agri-food industries.
A company from Argentina interested in greenhouses
The four organizations’ plan suggests that the greenhouses could eventually be used at the University of Laval, specifically for conducting studies on greenhouse cultures as part of the strengthening of food autonomy. However, the assembly of this option has yet to be specified.
Tobacco plants in Medicago greenhouses (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada/Carl Boivin
Therefore, a small Argentinian pharmaceutical company, Cassara, is interested in taking over a large part of the greenhouses in the short term. She wants to use it to make pharmaceutically interesting molecules from tobacco plants, similar to what Medicago did.
According to the document, talks with the company are still ongoing.
Educate the next generation
Québec Internationale, for its part, wants to work with the Cégep de Sainte-Foy and the University of Laval to set up a training center for trades and skills in organic production. It will train personnel in the various trades important to the center and the development of the sector throughout the province.
However, the $25 million to $30 million in funding has yet to be secured.