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PH Consul General in Calgary Encourages Canada’s Deep Tech Community to Invest in the Philippines

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Consul General Zaldy Patron (rightmost) speaking at Deep Tech Canada’s Conference on Health and Medical Innovation held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on 17 October 2023. (Photo by Deep Tech Canada)

CALGARY 23 October 2023 – Philippine Consul General to Calgary Zaldy Patron encouraged Canada’s deep technology community to invest in the Philippines’ innovation and technology sector during the Deep Tech Canada’s Conference on Health and Medical Innovation held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, on 16-17 October 2023.

Speaking as a panelist on the second day of the conference on the topic “The Maple Leaf Advantage: Canada's Competitive Edge in the ASEAN Market,” Consul General Patron highlighted the Philippines’ big domestic market, its well-educated and English-speaking workforce, and familiarity with Western legal system as among the factors why Canadian deep tech companies should consider doing business in the Philippines.

“Aside from offering investors a big domestic market, the Philippines can also be an entry point for Canadian companies to export to the rest of Southeast Asia under the ASEAN Free Trade Area arrangement,” said Consul General Patron.

Consul General Patron shared with the audience that the Philippines is considered as one the middle-income economies with the fastest innovation catch-up. The country had 1,100 start-ups in 2020 and Metro Manila’s Start-up Ecosystem Value alone is valued at $3.5 billion.

Citing information from the Philippines’ National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Development 2023-2028, Consul General Patron, has identified business opportunities for tech companies interested in introducing products and technologies to the Philippines’ health sector.  Some of them are in the following areas:

  • Smart technologies for personalized health information and monitoring (e.g., use of medical wearables, telemedicine, digital twin);
  • Edutainment in health and wellness;
  • Quantum computing in drug research and development; and
  • Technological advances in healthcare.

Hosted by Deep Tech Canada, a not-for-profit organization, the two-day conference was attended by companies offering innovative solutions and approaches, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data, nanotechnologies, quantum technologies, advanced materials, biotech, photonics and electronics, robotics and more. END

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(From left to right) Marie D’Iorio, (President, Deep Tech Canada), Thi Be Nguyen (Executive Director, Canada-ASEAN Business Council), Evan Buie (Trade Commissioner, Global Affairs Canada), Shawn Watson (CEO, Senescence Life Sciences), Consul General Zaldy Patron, and Janice Warkentin (Executive Director, Deep Tech Canada) after the session on “The Maple Leaf Advantage: Canada's Competitive Edge in the ASEAN Market” at Deep Tech Canada’s Conference on Health and Medical Innovation. (Photo by Deep Tech Canada)

For more information, visit https://www.calgarypcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinCalgary/.