International Trade committee  As you mentioned, we have a number of MOUs with organizations around the world, particularly in Europe. What these MOUs do is help us develop relationships with organizations that are like-minded and that are focused on developing early-stage companies and technologies within the industrial bioeconomy.

International Trade committee  My apologies, but I missed that. If flight of capital is a fear and a concern, I would think our biggest problem is the attraction of capital and the fact that we need international capital coming into Canada. If we don't have the right environment for that, we won't be able to attract capital, let alone hold on to what we have here already.

International Trade committee  I'll jump in here. I agree with what the first two panellists or witnesses have said. The tax credits and the production support structures are very important for defining the return on investment on these projects so they can move forward and attract investment. I would add, though, that all of the companies we work with are earlier-stage companies, and access to capital is a significant challenge for them.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Madam Chair and committee, for the invitation to speak today. My name is Sandy Marshall. I am an advisor and project manager with Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, also known as BIC. BIC is a national not-for-profit business accelerator that provides critical strategic investment, advice and services to developers of clean, green and sustainable technologies.