Our Approach
About the Industry Innovation Fund (I²)
The Industry Innovation (I²) Fund, established by Genome British Columbia in 2016, provides funding and commercialization support for companies developing innovative life science technologies in British Columbia (BC). Life sciences includes genomics and other technologies that address challenges in key sectors such as Health, Agrifood, Energy, Mining, Environment, Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture. The I² Fund also supports digital health and other technologies that will further move precision medicine into clinical practice.
I² funding is allocated to promising technologies (products, processes or services) at the early stages of commercial development. The program aims to provide risk capital that is concurrently matched by other public or private funding sources.
Companies must be beyond the research stage and should be in the commercial proof of concept or development phase. Funded companies can be based outside of BC but must have a substantial presence in BC.
The amount of funding allocated by I² ranges from $500,000 to $1,750,000 per company, and is targeted to initiatives where a clear pathway to commercialization can be demonstrated. We will work with companies to help establish this pathway and link them to other stakeholders in the industry. Our early stage capital takes the form of hybrid debt and royalties. I² funds are interest-free. The loan Principal is repayable commencing no more than four years after disbursement with flexible schedules to dramatically reduce the cost of capital.
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Portfolio
Investment Portfolio
Meet the Advisory Council
Advisory Council
Dr. Tony Brooks
Dr. Tony Brooks is Genome BC’s Chief Financial Officer and VP, Entrepreneurship & Commercialization. He has over 25 years of experience in the life sciences, not for profit and public accounting environments. He leads Genome BC’s finance, HR, administration and Entrepreneurship and Commercialization areas.
Throughout his career, Tony has worked with both large and small life sciences companies and brings the vast knowledge he has gained to lead our Industry Innovation Program funding early stage start-ups. He believes in applying best practices, integrity and risk management to deliver high quality outputs. Tony is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. He holds a PhD in developmental biology from the University of London, England and a BSc from the University of Reading.
Dr. Barb Kinnaird
Barb is currently the CEO of Response Biomedical Corporation, a Vancouver-based acute care diagnostics leader known for products that improve patient outcomes and support health reforms. A patent-holder and author of numerous academic publications, Barb is also an active leader in the global medical diagnostic community and a sought-after mentor to fellow CEOs. Since 2019, she has served as Chair of the Board of Acetech, a non-profit organization for leaders of companies innovating with technology.
Dr. Kinnaird holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia. She conducted her post-doctoral research at the Michael Smith Laboratories in genomics and gene expression profiling in collaboration with the B.C. Genome Sciences Centre while acting as a consultant for the Proteomics division of Incyte Genomics Inc. She continues to share her expertise in life sciences as an Advisor to Genome BC and Global Affairs Canada.
Don M. Enns, B.Sc., M.B.A.
Don Enns has been a leader in British Columbia’s life sciences industry for over 35 years; most currently as Chief Business Officer at Nanovation Therapeutics Inc., a next generation gene therapy platform company with a focus on nucleic acid based nanolipid particle delivery. Prior to that, he lead Evonik’s global drug delivery business unit for three years which offered development and manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical sector in over 50 countries. He has previously held executive positions at Transferra, Life Sciences BC, and Cantest Ltd., a former BC-headquartered global organization providing professional analytical and clinical services for the environmental, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and food safety industries.
Don has been a director of numerous local for-profit companies as well as several non-profit organizations involved with national standardization, venture capital, trade, education, community affairs, public health and national research. He has overseen expansion into European and Southeast Asian markets; been responsible for merger and acquisition activity; and consulted for international agencies such as the UN Development Programme. He is currently managing director of Molecular You, CEO of Nanovation Capital, past co-Chair/director of Canada’s National Research Council’s Advisory Committee, Nanomedicines Innovation Network (NMIN), Genome British Columbia, the World Wildlife Fund of Canada among other organizations.
Michael Albin, Ph.D.
Following a Ph.D. in chemistry at Pennsylvania State University and postdoctoral research in biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, Michael worked at SYVA diagnostics followed by fifteen years at Applied Biosystems Inc. rising to the role of VP of Science and Technology, and then VP of Strategic Technologies of the parent company Applera Corp, an S&P 500 company.
As VP of Science and Technology at Applied Biosystems Inc. (now Life Technologies Inc.), Michael was responsible for R&D programs with a budget in excess of US$100 million and overseeing the development of the company’s product pipeline via internal development, investment and acquisition.
Michael currently focuses on Board seats or senior consulting roles to guide the growth of science-based companies.
