I am happy to do it. Sorry about that.
Why are we able to do this? It's because since 2000, the Government of Canada has made forward-looking investments to build Canadian genomics excellence through Genome Canada.
I'll say a few words about who we are. Genome Canada is a unique, collaborative national model that has leveraged over $1.5 billion in strategic federal support into 3.6 billion dollars' worth of research through partnerships with provincial governments, industry and other partners. Our federated network of six regional Genome Centres, from Genome B.C. to Genome Atlantic, ensures that Canada's genomic enterprise has national breadth and regional depth.
Moreover, our partnerships with industry, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, and other end-users in the public and not-for-profit sectors ensure that genomics research results have real-world applications. For example, we've helped create 82 start-ups and promoted the growth of 230 other companies. Canadian genomics patents are second worldwide after only the U.S. We help bring research to life.
Let me move to our role in health care and the mandate of this committee. With an aging population and increasing chronic disease rates, the imperative to bring genomic innovations to Canada's health care systems is clear.
Through Genome Canada investments in human health, genomics research has already led to saving lives and improving health outcomes and disease management for patients touched by cancer, heart disease, autism, epilepsy and rare diseases. These investments are at the intersection of genomics and health care and are leading the shift from a disease-oriented system to one that is—