Biotechnology for development: An opportunity for Canada's private sector to establish a role in the world

Life expectancies in industrialized countries are 80 years and rising, while in some developing countries it is 40 years and falling. This gap is perhaps the greatest ethical challenge of our time. Underlying this challenge are the inequities in knowledge. Industrialized countries, such as Canada, need to establish a commitment and a mechanism that will encourage the commercialization of appropriate products to help address the health and environmental challenges of the developing world.; The objective of this study, through qualitative case study methods, is to identify the barriers and needs of Canadian small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for commercializing biotechnologies to developing world markets. I will also describe the relevance of developing world markets and the satisfaction with existing tools provided by the Canadian Government from the perspective of SMEs. The results of this study will help inform the development of government mechanisms to encourage the commercialization of Canadian biotechnology in the developing world.