• National competition, in collaboration with adMare BioInnovations, demonstrates AbbVie's commitment to a thriving biotech ecosystem in Quebec 
• One biotech will receive a year of laboratory and office space including access to shared equipment and services at no cost at the adMare Innovation Centre in Montreal, as well as access to AbbVie's scientific and business executives support and mentorship
• Applications will be accepted until February 20, 2026.
  

MONTREAL, Nov. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), jointly with the adMare BioInnovations, announced the launch of the AbbVie Biotech Innovators Award, a prize to help foster innovation and support growth in Quebec's life sciences sector.

AbbVie is pleased to collaborate with adMare BioInnovations, an organization dedicated to building strong Canadian life science companies with global impact, to support early-stage biotechnology startup companies with the potential to generate transformational therapies in areas that align with AbbVie's therapeutic areas of focus: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, and aesthetics.

The award, funded by AbbVie, will provide one early-stage biotech recipient with a year of laboratory and office space including access to shared equipment and services at no cost at the adMare Innovation Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The startup selected will also benefit from AbbVie's scientific and business executives’ expertise and counsel to serve as an accelerator of science.

“This award reflects adMare’s focus on helping to create and scale globally competitive Canadian life science companies,” said Gordon C. McCauley, President and CEO of adMare BioInnovations. We are honoured to partner with AbbVie to provide one of Canada’s next biotech leaders with dedicated turn-key wet lab and office space in our Montreal Innovation Centre so that they can build value by focusing on advancing their technology to achieve scientific milestones and ultimately bring life-changing innovation to patients, faster.”

"We are delighted to bring this exciting biotech award to researchers in Quebec, highlighting AbbVie's commitment to fostering a thriving life sciences ecosystem and tackling patients’ most challenging health issues," said Rami Fayed, Vice President and General Manager of AbbVie Canada. "We look forward to collaborating with adMare BioInnovations and the selected award recipient to help advance meaningful health innovation that will have a remarkable impact on people’s lives."

Applications are being accepted from today through February 20, 2026. For more information on the application requirements and judging criteria, or to submit an application, please visit https://www.admarebio.com/en/abbvie-award.

Quebec's vibrant life sciences and health technologies industry contributes $6.5 billion to Quebec’s GDP.¹

About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.

For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.ca. Follow AbbVie Canada on Instagram or find us on LinkedIn.

About adMare BioInnovations
With a strong track record of globally-competitive scientific discovery, Canadian life sciences are primed to lead the world. To make this a reality, adMare BioInnovations uses its scientific and commercial expertise, specialized R&D infrastructure, and seed capital to build strong life sciences companies, develop robust ecosystems, and foster industry-ready talent. It re-invests its returns into the Canadian industry to ensure its long-term sustainability. adMare has helped build 38 companies, of which 27 are still active. These companies have attracted $2.5 billion of risk capital, have a combined value of $5.8 billion, and have created around 1,000 jobs in Canada. Our dynamic Montreal and Vancouver Innovation Centres have been home to 50 life science companies to date, with the 29 current resident companies employing over 400 life sciences professionals. The adMare Academy has trained more than 900 alumni — 87% of whom are employed in the life sciences industry. For more information, please visit www.admarebio.com. 

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¹ BIOQuébec. The Voice of the Industry. Available at: https://bioquebec.com/en/