Vancouver Island Technology Park

Fredericton-based Knowledge Park is drawing a roadmap for the future with the launch of its first long-term strategic development plan this week. Today is an exciting time for Knowledge Park, the City of Fredericton and the Province of New Brunswick said Dr. Greg Kealey, President of the Knowledge Park Board of Directors. Across North America, Research and Technology Parks have proven themselves a powerful economic development tool. With this long term strategic approach, New Brunswick’s Knowledge Park is setting its sites on ensuring this development meets and even exceeds its economic impact goals.

The development plan map distributed at the media conference illustrated existing and future building projects on the Knowledge Park’s current land, now held under a land lease with the University of New Brunswick (UNB), the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Complex adjacent property and an expansion of the UNB lands along Knowledge Park Drive.

Enquisite, Inc., a leading provider of search marketing automation and monetization solutions, today announced that it has secured $8 million in Series B funding. Castile Ventures and Formative Ventures led the investment. Enquisite also announced that Skip Besthoff, general partner, Castile Ventures, and Dino Vendetti, general partner, Formative Ventures, have joined Enquisite’s Board of Directors.

“Enquisite’s disruptive solutions will bring unprecedented insights to the search marketplace and, with it, significant value to its customers,” states Besthoff. “Given my prior success with (Enquisite CEO) Mark Hoffman, I am excited to work with him again and also now with Enquisite’s founder, Richard Zwicky. Their joint vision and expertise makes them a winning combination.”

Pfizer Canada has increased its initial commitment of $1 million by an additional $2 million to the “Pfizer-CDRD Innovation Fund” at the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) to fast-track the commercialization of some of B.C.’s most promising research. The Innovation Fund, now totaling $3 million, is already supporting six unique scientific opportunities with promising commercialization potential in the areas of cancer and diabetic ulcer healing.

The Pfizer-CDRD Innovation Fund, launched last year, represents a unique public-private partnership and Pfizer is the first international research–based pharmaceutical company to establish an innovation fund at the CDRD. The Fund’s purpose is to advance commercialization opportunities that could result in high-value medicines to create new companies or licensing opportunities.

A new $21-million building for the Vancouver Island Technology Park and the first ocean technology park in North America are two shovel-ready projects Dale Gann is hoping will be funded as part of the federal government’s $40-billion stimulus package.

Gann, vice-president of the Vancouver Island Technology Park and president of the Association of University Research Parks in Canada, just returned from meetings in Ottawa, and said the two buildings would create jobs for hundreds of construction workers and provide an ongoing benefit to the country.

Gann said he met with Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science and technology, and Marc Garneau, Liberal critic for science and technology. “Both recognize and realize that as Canada looks for infrastructure investments that will continue to give back and enable the economy to grow, that the research parks in Canada have an opportunity to assist in that regard,” he said.

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The Vancouver Island Technology Park have begun the process of installing an ultra-modern back-up power generator on site at VITP. This 900kwH generator will allow VITP to remain fully operational if the region experiences any power outages. All tenants will have the option of hooking onto the generator for their own power needs. “VITP continues to push the envelope on this state-of-the-art building,” says Dale Gann, Acting President of VITP. “This region has been hit hard the last couple years with power outages and we felt that it was necessary for our tenants to invest in such a generator.”

Proposals for infrastructure investments across the Capital Region are missing the mark according to the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

“Construction funded through economic stimulus investments should have benefits that reach beyond the construction industry with positive spin-off to our local economy long after the projects are completed,” says Bruce Carter, CEO of the Chamber.

Municipalities across the region are forwarding a number of project proposals ranging from bridges, to storm water system repairs, shoreline restorations. The chamber’s position is that those projects that provide long-term benefits and household sustaining jobs should be given priority over maintaining existing infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak today to this extremely important issue. I am going to give a bit of background but also offer some solutions that I hope will find some favour on the other side.

We know of the economic tsunami that has gone across the globe, one that has destroyed savings in our country and caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. We know it is in part a result of improper financial regulation and oversight not only here at home but internationally. I hope the government will provide some solutions and tell us and the rest of Canada what it is going to do to make sure that in our country we will have the sensible oversight and regulations to ensure we have a competent and effective financial system.

What I would also like to know is what it is going to do to work with our international partners to make sure we are going to have the global financial oversight and regulation, not excessive, not one that is going to destroy the markets but one to ensure that capitalism is going to work in an effective way for the good of people. It is extremely important.

Victoria, British Columbia, January 29, 2009 – Vancouver, British Columbia will host delegates from the world’s leading scientific research and technology centres when the […]

Though details are sketchy and the ink still damp on the federal budget, industries that could benefit from the billions in new spending announced yesterday by federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty were in agreement that any infusion of cash at this point had to be seen as positive.

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce was also giving Flaherty’s stimulus package a thumbs-up.

“Our challenge now will be to identify those projects that can be brought forward through a municipal partnership and still represent a long-term economic benefit to the entire region,” said chamber CEO Bruce Carter, noting expansions to the airport runway, the Ogden Point Cruise Ship terminal and the Vancouver Island Technology Park should be on the radar.

Dale Gann, President of the Association of University Research Parks in Canada, today said: “We applaud the attention given infrastructure in the budget, believing that the intent is to define infrastructure in the broadest sense of the word. We refer to knowledge-based infrastructure as an investment with proven return.”

“While roads need repair and bridges need to be built, this represents an important, but one-time transfusion,” Gann said. “But, the return on investment for the infrastructure AURP Canada supports is significant and is ongoing. In fact, it is estimated the annual economic impact of Canadian research parks is over $3 billion with approximately 18% in the form of direct new and sustainable taxation to government.”