Mitacs and Innovate BC to leverage funding, expertise, and connections across British Columbia

Vancouver, BC — At the #BCTECHSummit, Western Canada’s largest annual innovation event, Mitacs and Innovate BC will announce a partnership to strengthen relationships between industry and BC post-secondary institutions for expanded innovation and growth.

Mitacs and Innovate BC will support BC companies by leveraging funding, connections and academic research expertise. The partnership will help develop BC companies by bringing together research collaborations between industry and academia, while also assisting in the recruitment of high-calibre, qualified graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

As part of the agreement, co-funded business development specialist Sarah Fernando will work with Mitacs and Innovate BC to support local entrepreneurs and companies at all stages of growth through quality programs and funding opportunities.

Also at the #BCTECHSummit, Mitacs will host a panel on collaborative innovation, which fosters business growth through partnerships. As opposed to relying on internal company resources alone, collaborative innovation builds on a foundation of common goals and shared definitions of success.

Five experts will discuss how collaborative innovation can boost a company’s competitive advantage:

• Allen Eaves, OBC, MD, PhD, FRCPC, President and CEO, STEMCELL Technologies
• Dionne O’Gorman, Director, Consulting Delivery, CGI
• Jack Chang, CFA, FRM, Partner, Fort Capital Partners
• Walter Mérida, PhD, Associate Dean, Research and Industrial Partnerships, UBC
• Sherry Zhao, PhD, Director, Strategic Accounts and Business Development, Mitacs (Facilitator)

Quotes:

Alejandro Adem, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs

“Innovate BC is an invaluable partner to Mitacs because its mandate is to help innovators in BC access funding, launch their ideas, and connect with the experts they need to build great companies. Working with Innovate BC will help us to harness innovation, create economic value, and improve lives in BC and around the world.”

Raghwa Gopal, President and CEO, Innovate BC

“This partnership will allow us to tap into Mitacs’s incredible expertise and open the doors for even more industry and academic collaborations across the province. We’re extremely excited to work with an organization like Mitacs that shares our commitment to research-based innovation that will leave a lasting impact on British Columbia.”

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Links:

• To attend the Collaborative innovation panel, go to EventBrite.
• For information about Mitacs and our programs, see mitacs.ca/newsroom.

Quick facts:

• Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.
• Working with 60+ universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.
• Open to all sectors of industry, projects can span a wide range of areas, including manufacturing, business processes, IT, social sciences, and design.
• Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia along with the other provinces, industry partners, and academic partners.