Vancouver Island Technology Park

The National Research Council of the National Academies today released the Academies’ new report, Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks: Global Best Practices, at the U.S. Capital. Senator Mark Pryor, D-AR gave opening remarks.

Senator Pryor is sponsoring Senate Bill 583, which provides support for the development and construction of research and science parks to promote the clustering of innovation through high technology activities. Co-sponsors of S. 583 are Senator Lamar Alexander, R-TN, Senator Richard J. Durbin, D-IL, Senator Tim Johnson, D-SD, and Senator Olympia J. Snowe, R-ME.

A Sidney company has received a loan of $1.8 million from the federal government to work on a high-tech project that will collect information through buoys and surveillance equipment in ports.

The “repayable investment” in AXYS Technologies, which comes from $200 million in federal funding for the Strategic Aerospace and Defense Initiative, was announced Wednesday.

The AXYS cash injection “builds on Canadian expertise in security technologies while helping the company to play a vital role in the growing security market,” said Abbotsford MP Ed Fast, making the announcement for Industry Canada.

The Province is investing $86.4 million in a new state-of-the-art building at the University of British Columbia that will house the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, enabling the expansion of the undergraduate program by 72 students, and helping address the shortage of pharmacists in B.C., announced Premier Gordon Campbell today.

“This facility will ensure increased numbers of pharmacists are able to train in B.C. to help meet the health care needs of British Columbians now and for the future,” said Premier Campbell. “This expansion of pharmacist training will build on the steps we’ve taken over the past eight years to expand training of medical professionals here in B.C., including doubling the number of doctor training spaces and nurse training spaces at our province’s universities and colleges.”

The new Pharmaceutical Sciences Building will feature almost two hectares of floor space containing research and teaching laboratories, office space and classrooms, as well as additional space to be leased out to tenants operating in the drug research, development and commercialization field. The total project cost is $133.3 million, and it will create approximately 850 construction jobs.

The government of Canada has awarded a $20 million contract to Victoria Shipyards, for construction of five small search and rescue vessels for the coast guard. The boats will be about 15 meters, 47 feet, in length and are described as ‘motor lifeboats’.

Two will be stationed on the west coast, with the remaining three each in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Delivery is to be in March of 2011.