After having spent several years with large pharmaceutical companies and in the field of venture capital related to life sciences, I was able to better understand and appreciate the complex but gratifying drug discovery process. I accepted to become part of IRICoR’s Board of Directors over ten years ago, as I was immediately impressed by its innovative model of valorizing and accelerating research aimed at developing new drug therapies for the benefit of patients.

It is important to highlight that this would not have been possible without the trust and commitment shown by the federal and provincial governments which provided IRICoR with renewed financial support.

I am proud to present this Annual Report that will enable you to appreciate the work done by Nadine and her team over the course of the past twelve months, as part of the continuity of an effort that began long before. There is one clear conclusion: IRICoR is now a respected pan-Canadian institution with a strong international reputation.

As this Report is being published, we are in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. It demonstrates the importance of providing greater research funding for therapeutic responses to continue to be created, in both a health crisis context and to remedy public health problems, such as cancer and rare diseases.

Buoyed by this mission of valorizing research, IRICoR continues its efforts along those lines, alongside its partners, convinced of the importance of streamlining the link between innovative research and the pharmaceutical sector, in order to meet needs that are not sufficiently satisfied or not satisfied at all.