In 2026, the convergence of health technology and national security has become a strategic imperative for Canada.
On March 26, OBIO® hosted an insightful discussion in partnership with Invest Ottawa. This event featured industry leaders who addressed how Canada can leverage domestic innovations in dual-use Health Tech and Life Sciences to build a robust, domestic industrial base to strengthen Canada’s sovereignty and security.
Participants learned from expert panelists who develop dual-use health technologies and actively engage with the defence sector.
Agenda
The Foundry at the Bayview Yards, Ottawa
1:00 - 1:30 pm:
Registration
1:30 - 1:45 pm:
Opening remarks by Dr. Maura Campbell (OBIO®)
Fireside Chat 1
1:45 - 2:05 pm:
Opening remarks by Sonya Shorey (Invest Ottawa)
Fireside Chat 2
2:05 - 2:20 pm:
Prensentation by The Royal Ottawa Healthcare Group
2:20 -3:15 pm:
Panel discussion
3:15 -4:30 pm
Networking
Fireside Chats: 1:30 - 2:05 pm
Fireside Chat 1
Dr. Maura Campbell
President and CEO
OBIO®
Aude-Alexia Véronneau
Trade Commissioner (Senior Trade Advisor/Analyst)
Global Affairs Canada
Kasondra White
Acting Director General
Health Emergency Readiness Canada (HERC), Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Fireside Chat 2
Jens Merkel
CFO
Siemens Healthineers Global Center of Excellence for Blood Gas Testing
Sonya Shorey
President and CEO
Invest Ottawa
Presentation from The Royal Ottawa Healthcare Group: 2:05 - 2:20 pm
Transforming Mental Health through Quality, Research, Innovation & Partnership
Florence Dzierszinski
President & CEO, Institute of Mental Health Research
VP Research, The Royal Ottawa Healthcare Group
Cara Vaccarino
President and CEO
The Royal Ottawa Healthcare Group
Panel Discussion: 2:20 - 3:15 pm
Panel discussion on the start-up journey towards dual-use technology for military applications featuring guest speakers Morteza Ahmadi (Qidni Labs), Brian Jahns (Vasomune Therapeutics) and Michael Tessier (Cohesys).
Meet our Panelists
