HR Microscope - November/December 2025

November/December 2025

Wishing you warmth, rest and meaningful moments this holiday season.

From all of us at BioTalent Canada.

Yusuf Patel champions inclusion and accessibility in bioscience

Yusuf Patel is showing what the future of Canada’s bio-economy can look like: empathetic leadership, inclusive innovation and a commitment to making bioscience accessible for everyone. As a biochemistry student, Yusuf is deeply committed to understanding the science that drives breakthroughs. But just as importantly, they devote their time to peer support, creating a healthier and more inclusive academic community.

Read their story

Turning challenge into purpose: helping others find strength through inclusion

Gayoung Park represents the future of Canada’s biosciences: curious, driven and ready to make an impact. Her I.D.E.A.L. Scholarship™ story shows how financial support frees emerging researchers to concentrate on discovery and innovation. When students like Gayoung can fully engage in their studies, the entire bio-economy benefits from their insight, leadership and potential. This is what investing in talent looks like in action.

Read her story

Your insights can shape policy

The Workforce Pulse Survey, led by EMC with support from BioTalent Canada and other workforce development councils, collects timely insights from employers in Canada’s bio-economy to inform national workforce strategies.

Your responses help shape the insights in the Workforce Pulse report, which supports employers in Canada’s bio-economy by highlighting workforce trends, challenges and opportunities that influence both industry strategy and national policy.

Take just three minutes to contribute your insights. The more responses we gather, the stronger and more informed our decisions can be.

Turn your insights into actionable data.

Take the 3-minute survey now

Science Horizons Internship Program is now accepting applications

The Science Horizons Youth Internship Program is accepting applications this fall, making it easier to build your workforce with job-ready talent. Add the kind of energy and innovation that drives projects forward and helps you move faster to market.

Take advantage of up to $25,000 in funding and direct support for onboarding qualified candidates, growing your capacity and fuelling your team’s future. Placements are limited.

Grow your team, reduce your hiring risk and open the door to new ideas – all while supporting Canada’s next wave of innovators.

Learn more

Turn funding into innovation

When the right talent meets the right support, progress happens.

Brokkr Mineral Resources leveraged the Career Starter Program’s wage support and wrap-around services to bring new energy to its work, and the results speak for themselves:

“The Career Starter Program has had a significant and positive impact on our company. It enabled us to bring in an early-career scientist who contributed meaningfully to our R&D efforts while gaining valuable experience in a real-world industrial setting. The intern helped advance key technical projects, including experimental design, data analysis and scale-up work, allowing us to accelerate timelines and explore new directions that would not have been feasible otherwise. Beyond the technical contributions, the program supported our commitment to talent development and strengthened our future hiring pipeline. It has been an important tool for growing our team’s capacity in a financially sustainable way.”
– Rachel Simister (employer) Brokkr Mineral Resources

Your team can benefit, too. The Career Starter Program offers:

Up to $20,000 in wage support for youth hires
Customized training and onboarding assistance
Access to job-ready talent across Canada’s bio-economy

Start your next hire with confidence.

Apply today

Build Your BioFuture: National Career Info Fair for Emerging Biotechnology & Biomanufacturing Talent

Build Your BioFuture: National Career Info Fair for Emerging Biotechnology & Biomanufacturing Talent is a four-hour virtual event connecting students and recent graduates in life sciences with top employers in Canada’s biomanufacturing, biotechnology, and cell and gene therapy sectors. Co-hosted by CASTL and the Stem Cell Network (SCN), the fair will feature career panels, fireside chats, and interactive networking opportunities with sector companies. Register now to explore diverse career pathways, gain insider tips on job searching and professional networking, and connect directly with recruiters to learn about current opportunities.

Learn more and register here

GAAP Labs: Where ideas grow

Located in Saskatoon, GAAP (Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership) offers a flexible fee-for-service model that gives innovators access to high-quality office, lab, and greenhouse space—without long-term commitments. Perfect for startups, scaling companies, and global partners, GAAP provides the tools, expertise, and infrastructure needed to accelerate agri-food innovation.

As a makerspace for scientists, GAAP supports everything from concept development to commercialization. “We’re filling a critical gap by offering flexible, fee-for-service space for biomanufacturing innovators,” says CEO Jeremy Lang. “Our goal is to help companies grow breakthrough ideas.”

With over 12,000 sq. ft. of specialized facilities—including fermentation labs, analytical labs, prototyping capabilities, and advanced greenhouses—GAAP offers scalable support for research, testing, and product development.

If your project needs expert guidance, advanced equipment, or a collaborative research environment, GAAP is ready to help. Learn more, sign up for a tour or request a quote at gaapvc.com.

Learn more

UCalgary and Providence Therapeutics kick off new partnership

The University of Calgary has partnered with Providence Therapeutics to accelerate academic research into new molecular targets for life-saving vaccines and therapeutics.

The UCalgary And Providence Therapeutics United for translational Research Excellence (CAPTURE) program will focus on new treatments in oncology, infectious diseases and veterinary medicine.

“This exceptional opportunity for our researchers to work with Providence to rapidly deploy new therapeutics for clinical testing is an exemplar of why our university is a leader in research and innovation,” says William Ghali, Vice-President (Research), UCalgary.