The Ottawa Life Sciences Council (OLSC) is merging with the Ottawa Centre for Research Innovation (OCRI), folding life sciences into the city's main economic development corporation. The merged entity will represent virtually all sectors within Ottawa's knowledge-based community, combining OCRI's technology, marketing and promotional expertise with OLSC's extensive market intelligence and technology transfer strengths.

OCRI and OLSC have been working more closely in recent years as both organizations saw a convergence of membership and struggled with funding cuts from various public bodies from which they draw their support. Both memberships and their funders including the provincial government were also in favour of exploring a merger with the view to broadening their sectoral focus to one of innovation. Initial discussions between the OCRI and OLSC began in January, followed by the striking of a committee to move negotiations forward.

"With the OLSC coming on board, we will need to change the OCRI brand. It's more than just the tech sector now," says OCRI president Jeffrey Dale. "We will re-do our strategic plan to incorporate OLSC and the last three years of OCRI experience.The new organization will represent the knowledge economy, S&T and smart growth."

The merger, which must be approved by the OLSC board of directors, is slated to take effect October 1st, with OLSC president Ken Lawless and his team moving into OCRI headquarters at the end of the month. Dale will be president of the new organization while Lawless becomes VP in charge of the life sciences program. New OLSC programs slated for implementation this fall will go forward as planned.

OCRI has an annual budget of nearly $8 million and a staff of 70 full- and part-time staff, while OLSC has a budget of $1.7 million and eight employees. The OCRI board will be expanded by three to provide a voice for life sciences and will be reduced by one member for each of the next three years until its members drops back to the current 21.

Both OCRI and OLSC have extensive ties to other innovation entities in the province and have recently received funding to enhance those networks (see page 5).

"It was time to take advantage of the opportunities coming our way," says Lawless. "We need to constantly adjust and remain competitive for research and commercialization ... There are opportunities to leverage each other to access funds and bring forward initiatives to serve the community better."

The decision to combine the two organizations follows the purchase of OLSC's Ottawa Life Sciences Park and two buildings for $6.9 million by the Univ of Ottawa.

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