British Columbia Innovation Council

BCIC develops entrepreneurial talent and commercializes technology through startup companies and partnerships between industry and academia. BCIC focuses on competitively positioning British Columbia in today's global knowledge economy in order to provide significant employment opportunities and a high standard of living for British Columbians.

A fundamental function of BCIC is to promote economic development. In the context of the BCIC's mandate, this is best accomplished by training science and technology entrepreneurs to develop successful companies that will create jobs and tax revenues for the province. BCIC's programs help train entrepreneurs and monetize research in to commercial ventures. In the process BCIC is also increasing awareness of BC as a viable location for the international business community to invest in.

BC has a multitude of strengths. We have world renowned research institutions, leading scientists and researchers and a strong array of experienced technology entrepreneurs who are working to reap the commercial benefits of discoveries made in BC.

BC remains strategically located on the Pacific Rim (West Coast), earning its reference as Canada's Pacific Gateway and is benefitting from the business opportunities and awareness generated as a result from hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. With world-class infrastructure, central geography and desirable resources, BC will continue to be seen and known as a great place to live, work, play and invest.

Innovation and the commercialization of technology are widely acknowledged as a major driving force of economic growth and prosperity. As we make our way into a new decade, BCIC will be at the core of strengthening and developing our province's knowledge economy through its established partnerships with industry, government and research institutions. The net result will be an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem necessary to support the commercialization of technology.

Through continuous interaction with BC's very early stage startup community, BCIC is able determine the needs currently not being met by the resources and services currently available to them, thereby potentially hindering their success.

BCIC's goal is to ensure new or aspiring technology entrepreneurs have what they need to turn their ideas into reality and progress through their first early development. Where gaps are identified, BCIC is taking action to fill these gaps through suitable programming directly through BCIC initiatives and indirectly in partnership with appropriate service providers.

As a precursor to these efforts, BCIC played a central role in providing input to the BC Business Council's Outlook 2020 initiative and emphasized the need for additional incubation and acceleration resources in the community. Since then, BCIC has partnered with SFU, UBC, UVIC, and Wavefront to expand the resources available to incubate and accelerate startups. Our work in this area continues. BCIC Outlook 2020 submission can be found here.

BCIC was publicly launched in October 2004 as a result of an announced merger by the Province of British Columbia between the Innovation and Science Council of BC and the BC Advanced Systems Institute, two prominent technology organizations with an established history of developing the province's research and innovation sector.

BCIC is a crown agency of the Province of British Columbia.

BCIC's programs focus on the following sectors where BC has competitive advantages:

• Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
• Wireless and Digital Media
  Subsectors:
  • Mobile & Wireless
  • Web 2.0 and Social Networking Applications
  • Video Games
  • Animation and Visual Effects
  • Interactive Marketing and e-Learning
    

• Clean Technology
  Subsectors:
  • Alternative Energy/Green Energy
  • Energy Infrastructure
  • Energy Conservation/Efficiency
  • Green Buildings and Design
  • Transportation
  • Water, Air, Soil and Waste
    

• Life Sciences
  Subsectors
  • Medicine
  • Health
  • Biotechnologies
    
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Marine
  • Food and Beverage
  • Bioprocessing and bioproducts
    

BCIC is positioning the province to succeed in an increasingly global marketplace by supporting the above key innovation sectors.

BCIC partners with other organizations to deliver programs in the following three areas:

1. Entrepreneurial Talent Development and Retention
2. Commercialization of Technology
3. Technology Awareness
   

For more information on BCIC's programs, click here.

To successfully deliver programs and initiatives to develop entrepreneurial talent and commercialize technology, BCIC has developed valuable partnerships with members of BC's tech industry and research/ academic institutions. BCIC would like to thank our partners for their incredible support.

Visit our Partners page to learn more.

Underlying all program and initiatives, BCIC aims to increase the awareness of BC's science and technology sectors while promoting BC as a world class destination for international companies to work and invest.

How do we this?

• BCIC links BC companies to international growth opportunities.
• BCIC increases awareness of BC achievements through prominent recognition events including the annual CONNECT conference and the BCIC Awards.

BCIC also:

• Highlights the successes of BC technology companies that it has had a hand in supporting.
• Highlights the province's growing knowledge economy through the BC Business Case Library, a collection of business cases giving entrepreneurs unprecedented access to industry successes, challenges and best practices. It is used in the province by students, entrepreneurs and industry to learn relevant local content that realistically reflects BC's business environment.
• Promotes BC's government leadership