The Bioscience sector provides employment for a wide range of qualifications from entry level to PhD.
PEI Bioscience companies focus on:
- Human health & nutrition & natural products
- Fish health and contract research around nutrition and vaccines
- Animal health & nutrition
- Human/animal health diagnostics
- Contract manufacturing services
- Medical devices
The PEI Cluster includes over 60 bioscience companies, several research institutions, and is home to Emergence – Atlantic Canada’s Bioscience Business Incubator and Natural Products Canada, North America’s first business accelerator dedicated to the commercialization of products and technologies based on natural product chemistry.
The PEI BioAlliance is a private sector-led not-for-profit organization dedicated to building the bioscience industry in PEI. By working collaboratively with partners from industry, research, and government agencies, we have created an innovation ecosystem that excels in the commercialization of bio-based technologies for global markets.
The PEI BioAlliance Board has set a strategic target to reach $1 billion in sales by 2030. For the full report, called HR Strategy 2025 Breaking Barriers – Driving Growth, click here.
“All the companies are featured on the PEI BioAlliance website,” says Vivian Beer, Manager, HR Strategy for the PEI BioAlliance.
How Canada’s smallest province is leading bioscience innovation
The bioscience sector is transforming the Island into a global player in innovation. Bioscience is now PEI’s second-largest industry and its growth is nothing short of remarkable.
Key initiatives in the PEI bioscience cluster:
Visualize the road ahead and map your career
Decide where you want to go in the bio-economy.
The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL)
An initiative of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance, CASTL is a unique partnership between academia, industry, and government to address the future skills needs of Canada’s fast-growing bioscience sector. CASTL offers multiple applied learning streams and pathways for individuals to acquire the hands-on technical training, theoretical knowledge, and professional skills to have a successful career in life sciences. CASTL 2025 Training Catalogue
The Bioscience Manufacturing Incubator (BMI)
The BMI is a 20,000 sq. ft. facility located in Charlottetown, PEI, comprised of six fully serviced, self-contained units to support pilot-scale manufacturing of bio-based products. The BMI is essential to allow companies moving from the R&D stage to commercial manufacturing to do so on PEI.
The BioAccelerator
The BioAccelerator will be a unique multi-function facility with 60,000 sq. ft. of biomanufacturing space that will provide facilities and services to researchers, entrepreneurs, and bioscience-based companies operating along the full continuum from research and product development, process development, manufacturing scale-up, and biomanufacturing skills and training.
Hiring needs within the Bioscience companies on PEI
The PEI BioAlliance is a private sector-led not-for-profit organization dedicated to building the bioscience industry on PEI. About 250 jobs are advertised through the PEI BioAlliance each year.
“The PEI BioAlliance attracts talent to bioscience companies on PEI by promoting their job postings,” says Vivian Beer, Manager, HR Strategy for the PEI BioAlliance. “My role is to help match talent to opportunities in the bioscience sector. I can have a one-to-one conversation with a job seeker to review their resumé, and we can discuss where there could be some good matches. Job seekers can ask questions about any of the companies and the roles available.
BioTalent Canada has launched its first 53 National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Canada’s bio-economy, along with 23 summary profiles
BioTalent Canada’s National Talent Strategy
Opportunities in this sector include the following:
- Scientists, Researchers,
- Quality Assurance,
- Quality Control and
- Regulatory positions.
About 50 percent of the jobs advertised are for Production and Engineering roles ranging from Process Engineers to Packaging Technicians and many other manufacturing positions.
“There are also a number of business administration positions in areas like Finance, Accounting, Sales and Marketing, and Human Resources,” says Vivian. “And there are some student positions including co-ops and summer placements.
“When you look at a job description, keep in mind that it describes the ideal employee. In most cases, the successful candidates do not have all the qualifications listed. If you have at least half of the qualifications, I encourage you to apply.”
5 ways to help you find a job in the growing bioscience sector:
1. Send in your resumé
The PEI BioAlliance keeps an online resumé library which is shared with hiring managers in the PEI bioscience cluster. If you are currently seeking employment, or will be upon graduation or for the summer months, send your resumé to Vivian Beer at vivian@peibioalliance.com.
The resumé should be in PDF format with the file name “Resume – (Your Name) – (Education/Credentials)” and the email subject line “Add my resume to the 2026 PEI Bioscience Cluster Library.”
2. Check out the job board
Updated as positions become available, the PEI BioAlliance website has a job postings page which consolidates all open positions across the cluster, including direct links to apply. The website also provides links to learn more about the companies that are hiring.
3. Sign up for email alerts
If you prefer to receive real-time alerts directly in your inbox, sign up for our email notifications, where you’ll receive ongoing updates on the latest opportunities in bioscience. Sign up today by filling out our form.
4. Follow us on LinkedIn for our weekly job round-up
At the end of every week on the PEI BioAlliance LinkedIn page, we post a summary of all the new jobs made available the week prior. Follow us on LinkedIn for these updates and for all the latest local news in the sector.
5. Stay up to date on the latest news and company expansions
LinkedIn is a valuable resource and a great way to stay informed about the latest job openings. “I encourage job seekers to build an extensive LinkedIn profile, because companies refer to these profiles when seeking talent,” says Vivian Beer. “You can also use LinkedIn to connect with hiring managers working for PEI companies.”
PEI BioAlliance is updating their 2026 resume submission files- so submit for the first time or resubmit and you’ll also be added to our Career News Mailing List where you’ll receive notifications about new bioscience job postings, updates on local bioscience news and invitations to bionetworking events.
Education/training resources in bioscience
- BioTalent Canada’s Career Starter program offers benefits to employers while helping transition youth into the labour market
- Bioscience post-secondary education options on PEI, click here
- BioTalent Canada’s I.D.E.A.L. Scholarship™ breaks workforce barriers, calls equity-deserving students to innovation leadership, click here
- Canadian Alliance for Skills & Training in Life Sciences Programs: CASTL Reskilling Program | Elevate Program | Career Starter Program
- Canada’s Bio-economy Deciphered: BioTalent Canada series of courses, click here
- Building Workplace Resiliency: Hiring Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) resource: BioTalent Canada click here
A video describing the work of PEI bioscience companies can be found below:
PEI Bioscience news you can use:
- Thunder Crowshoe’s journey into biosciences is rooted in resilience, cultural strength and a commitment to creating space for Indigenous voices. His path reflects the power of identity, community and purpose, and how lived experience can shape the future of inclusive science
- Insights shared in the last Workforce Pulse report revealed that 44% of respondents in the bio-economy reported planning to hire, despite potential financial constraints. These results are shaping the broader economy, but how are they evolving?
- Canada’s biomanufacturing sector faces a looming shortage of 16,000 skilled workers by 2029. CASTL’s Elevate program is helping to turn this challenge into opportunity by preparing under-employed Canadians, including newcomers and youth, with the skills, confidence, and connections they need to launch meaningful careers
- Older adult loneliness will cost Canada billions – lifelong career development can change that
- New Food and Bioscience Resource Roadmap – BioFoodTech
- BioTalent announces Jennifer Ash is the quarterly winner of BioTalent Canada’s “Difference Maker” award.
- New Report – Navigating the Talent Landscape: Labour Market Information Shaping the Biomanufacturing Workforce
- Creating space for innovation on a full-scale farm (Emili Canada)
- PEI BioAlliance welcomes a new Director of Marketing and Communications
- BioFoodTech’s April Edition (PEI BioAlliance)
- PEI’s Top Industries: The Backbone of our Economy
- World Economic Forum names SENTRY as Top 10 innovator for its role in tackling water pollution & ensuring water quality
- PEI BioAlliance News – February 2025
- TopGum takes strategic leap into North America with the acquisition of Island Abbey Nutritionals
- Conversations with Leaders in Canadian Agriculture
- A National Call to Action: Elevating Canada to an agri-food innovation superpower
- CASTL’s biomanufacturing training program delivers results for BIOVECTRA
- BioTalent Canada unveils National Skills Standard for Cleanroom Readiness to support biomanufacturing workforce development
- Nutramin’s Multivitamins win Product of the Year 2024
- Internationally recognized animal health leader announced as VetHealth Global 2025 Honourary Chair
- Outstanding contributors to PEI ecosystem honoured at Springboard 20th Anniversary showcase
- SEKISUI completes £15.7 million expansion in cGMP Biopharma CDMO capacity
- BioFoodTech welcomes new Food Innovation Specialist
- Let’s Talk Science is looking for volunteers
- I.D.E.A.L. Scholarship ™ – BioTalent Canada
Occupational Profiles
WorkPEI provides a searchable directory of occupations which includes job outlooks for PEI. Use the Occupations Directory to search and download over 500 occupational profiles.
PEI Employers
WorkPEI maintains a searchable directory of its member employers. View an employer’s company profile to learn more about the business, browse active job listings, locate the business on a map and more.
