Executive Summary

Hamilton has a rich history of economic success, rooted in its early days as a heavy manufacturing and transportation hub serving Ontario and global markets – giving rise to its moniker “Steel City”.

Hamilton has seen the emergence of a strong and vibrant life sciences sector, built on the foundation of world-class academic institutions, two leading hospital networks, advanced research institutes, as well as supporting organizations that together support private sector firms developing the next generation of innovative health technology. Hamilton’s renowned infrastructure and expertise in the areas of health research, clinical trials, and education, has created the platform for our life science companies to grow their businesses and reach global markets. This Hamilton Life Science Cluster Report represents the first of its kind for the Hamilton region. It seeks to measure the collective scale and scope of Hamilton’s growing life science cluster. The Report covers critical topics that together showcase Hamilton’s life science cluster: As of 2021, 203 life science organizations (both public- and private-sector) were identified as being part of Hamilton’s life science cluster. These organizations were surveyed, to provide insights across a variety of key statistics.

Hamilton’s life science sector is one of the largest employers in the city, with 36,649 employed at institutions who responded to our Cluster Report survey. While many were employed in front-line care, 6,709 scientists spent $461.8 million on general and applied research. With 56 research institutes and centres focused on topics ranging from aging to radiopharmaceuticals, it is evident why Hamilton is known as Canada’s leading life sciences research and education cluster. It is Hamilton’s strength in research that has provided the foundation for a flourishing private sector; 43 new companies have been established since 2016. Together, Hamilton’s life science companies have raised more than $620 million in the last five years.

Hamilton’s life science cluster has grown at a staggering pace over the past decade, with more expected in the foreseeable future.

Through the publication of the Hamilton Life Science Cluster Report, we hope to report on this success on an annual basis. Future reports will provide an update on the health of the cluster, but also highlight trends and opportunities.