University of Alberta student success story as part of BioTalent Canada's internship program

“We were in the fortunate position of developing a surface that kills harmful pathogens well before the global pandemic of COVID-19 began,” says Matt Hodgson, Co-Founder of Outbreaker Solutions. “The boom in interest made it necessary to increase our team size to expedite development, research, and establishing partnerships.”

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Outbreaker Solutions then found University of Alberta MBA student Paramita Chaudhuri Basu through BioTalent Canada and its Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) wage subsidy, introduced by the UofA Health Accelerator. 

“We had several projects on the go and needed to increase our team in order to execute on the projects,” says Hodgson. “As a start-up, wage support programs are extremely valuable in growing your team to explore opportunities without vastly increasing costs.”

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Paramita was brought on to help with business development and went on to play an active role in executing marketing initiatives. One of her greatest contributions was her help with the planning and launch of a pilot project in partnership with Edmonton Transit Service to install touch plates in select transit stations. 

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“Her background in biochemistry gave her a thorough understanding of the technology, the importance of the problem of infections, and how much opportunity is out there,” explains Hodgson. “Paramita is very outgoing and fearless in her pursuits – qualities I’d love to see emulated across the industry.”