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CFAX 1070's own Murray Langdon sat down with Dale Gann – acting president of the Vancouver Island Technology Park & president of AURP Canada to discuss the upcoming release of the 2009 Canadian Federal Budget.  Dale Gann was live in Ottawa on behalf of the twenty-six technology parks across Canada as Minister Flaherty unveiled Canada's stimulus package.

Victoria, British Columbia, January 29, 2009 – Vancouver, British Columbia will host delegates from the world’s leading scientific research and technology centres when the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) arrives for their 2009 Annual Meeting, to be held at The Westin Bayshore on October 21-23, 2009. The Meeting will be hosted by the University of Victoria’s Vancouver Island Technology Park and will be sponsored by Vancouver’s Discovery Parks.

As research, science and technology parks continue to gain momentum in Canada; the AURP meeting will allow Canadian parks to showcase their successes to their colleagues. 

“Research and innovation are critical to meeting the economic challenge, growing jobs and diversifying our economy,” says British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell.  “As B.C. welcomes business, government, and academic leaders from North America, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, we look forward to collaborating with leaders in the creation of knowledge and innovation networks, and supporting the growth of our economy and economies around the globe.”

The AURP meeting will provide valuable insight to governments, universities, and industry, and will demonstrate that research and technology parks are vital components of a national innovation strategy. "It is a great honour to host a conference of this magnitude in British Columbia," said Dale Gann, Acting President of VITP and President of AURP Canada.  "Our Canadian parks have a lot to be proud of, and this conference will provide us with an opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate our success. It will also be an opportunity to examine worldwide best practices, and gain technical expertise that will be useful in moving Canadian parks even farther along the innovation continuum.”

The AURP Annual Meeting is expected to draw over 300 industry, government, and academic leaders who will carefully analyze current issues and examine new models essential for communities seeking to capitalize on growth and sustainability. "The economic growth associated with research, science and tech parks is substantial. The innovation developed within these ‘Communities of Innovation’ will continue to be the key driver of our future world economy, ” says Gregory Deason, President of AURP.  “Through job creation and start-up company support, research science and tech parks continue to play a vital role in our economic recovery by providing new products, services, and ways of doing business.”

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For further information contact: 
Av Hundle
Manager, Business Development & Marketing
Vancouver Island Technology Park & Marine Technology Centre
250.812.6446
ahundle@vitp.ca

About the Vancouver Island Technology Park

The Vancouver Island Technology Park, a University of Victoria Enterprise, facilitates the growth of technology on Vancouver Island by providing physical infrastructure linking local, provincial, national and international resources with emerging and growing tech companies. VITP is a highly acclaimed centre of hi-tech excellence for world class science and innovation. Today, the existing 165,000 square feet facility is a proven model to 34 hi-tech companies. VITP is home to 1,300 highly-skilled and educated workers who contribute in excess of $280M annually to the economy of British Columbia.

About Discovery Parks

Discovery Parks designs and builds research facilities for the benefit of the people of British Columbia. Situated on three post-secondary campuses and in the Cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, Discovery is the link between academic research and the marketplace. Almost two million square feet of technology space has been developed to date. Operating profits are distributed to BC's post-secondary institutions, helping to fuel BC's technology economy, with over $12 million having been paid to these institutions to date. In 2002, Discovery won AURP’s Outstanding Research Park Achievement Award and in 2003 hosted AURP’s annual meeting in Vancouver. 

About the Association of University Research Parks (AURP)

A non-profit international organization, AURP represents research, science or technology parks, which are designed to promote university-industry relations, to foster innovation, and to facilitate the transfer of technology from academe to the private sector. Today, the Association servers over 350 members around the world, with more than 400 research parks worldwide in varying stages of development.

Canadian Association of University Research Parks (AURP Canada)

The Canadian Association of University Research Parks (AURP Canada) is a non-profit organization whose role is to represent the members and to advocate the position of the organization before administrative tribunals, municipal government, provincial ministries, federal departments and their agencies. AURP Canada is composed of 27 Research and Technology Parks across Canada.

BY ANDREW DUFFY

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.

"It's all good news, it all helps," said Greg Baynton president of the Vancouver Island Construction Association. "It would be nice if it was a little bit more of course, but I guess everyone is saying that these days."

The VICA was reacting to the $21.3 billion announced for infrastructure projects, energy retrofits, community recreation projects and social housing spending announced as part of the $40-billion two-year stimulus package included in the budget.

Members of Baynton's organization, which does commercial, industrial and institutional construction, stand to benefit from the $12 billion tabbed for infrastructure, $7.8 billion earmarked for housing, construction, renovations and energy retrofits, $500 million for hockey arenas, swimming pools and other community recreational facilities and the $1 billion set aside for social housing.

There are a slew of infrastructure wish lists floating around the province, but Baynton is hopeful Greater Victoria will get the chance to check some of its wishes off the list — highways, water-supply infrastructure, bridge work as well as refitting and perhaps expanding aging facilities like the Royal B.C. Museum and Royal Athletic Park.

"That kind of stuff brings added value to the community, venues [like that] have been there a long time and they are the kind of venues that attract people to the city," he said.

Victoria's homebuilders were singing a similar song yesterday.

Casey Edge, executive director of the Canadian Homebuilders Association of Victoria, said the infusion of cash could go a long way to injecting some much needed confidence into the consumer.

The federal package announced yesterday includes a refundable tax credit for renovations, the tax credit for first-time home buyers, expansion of the ecoEnergy home energy retrofit initiative and additional support for skilled trades training.

"From our perspective we have excellent fundamentals in Greater Victoria, where we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country and historical low mortgage interest rates and yet consumer confidence is very soft," he said. "What I think the government is trying to do is put a little money back into the consumers's pockets and get them to invest in their community."

Philip Hochstein, president of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association noted this package could have a huge ripple effect in B.C.

"Every $1 billion spent on construction creates 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, so not only will B.C. benefit from the federal government's commitment to infrastructure building, but we'll also see more job creation and positive economic spin-off," he said.

The stimulus package could also keep workers hopping at Victoria Shipyards. Part of the package included $175 million to build 98 new small vessels, lifeboats and barges for the coast guard.

Victoria Shipyards, which has done coast guard work in the past, is already working "fairly steady" at this point according to general manager Malcolm Barker and is anticipating a busy cruise ship season, but that didn't stop him from smiling over the new money.

"I haven't seen any details yet, but any time they announce spending money on the coast fixing, building or modifying ships then I am all ears," he said.

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.

The tourism industry welcomed the federal government's initiatives, noting $800 million in new spending will certainly help as the industry has hit "challenging economic times."

The funding initiatives included $40 million in marketing money over two years for the Canadian Tourism Commission, $100 million for marquee festivals and events over two years and $150 million for Canada's national parks system.

Tourism Industry Association of Canada president and CEO Randy Williams said those investments will improve the way "we deliver experiences of some of Canada's most important tourism destinations, and will provide both international and domestic travellers with even more compelling and urgent reasons to visit Canada." 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28881538/

OTTAWA, ONT – 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.”

He said that AURP stands ready to join with all levels of government in creating opportunities for policy-makers, industry and academic leaders to engage with each other in the common purpose of creating jobs and improving the quality of life through the stimulation of economic development.

“This is not speculative. Science and technology parks around the world support the power of innovation through the power of place, the eco system of facilities, services and amenities, all to assist organizations, many of them small companies, in their growth.  More than 39,000 people work in Canada’s 26 research parks, and we have the potential to see many more employed in this segment of the economy. Every job in a research park generates an average of 2.57 jobs in the economy resulting in a total employment impact of more than 107,250 jobs.”

It is the knowledge based infrastructure that governments must consider as they look for “shovel-ready” projects to stimulate economic growth and prosperity,” Gann said.  “Each university-associated science and technology park has projects that could be started tomorrow – projects that in turn provide the innovation that drive the nation.

“Our Association is ready, willing and very capable.”

OTTAWA, ONT – 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.”

He said that AURP stands ready to join with all levels of government in creating opportunities for policy-makers, industry and academic leaders to engage with each other in the common purpose of creating jobs and improving the quality of life through the stimulation of economic development.

“This is not speculative. Science and technology parks around the world support the power of innovation through the power of place, the eco system of facilities, services and amenities, all to assist organizations, many of them small companies, in their growth.  More than 39,000 people work in Canada’s 26 research parks, and we have the potential to see many more employed in this segment of the economy. Every job in a research park generates an average of 2.57 jobs in the economy resulting in a total employment impact of more than 107,250 jobs.”

It is the knowledge based infrastructure that governments must consider as they look for “shovel-ready” projects to stimulate economic growth and prosperity,” Gann said.  “Each university-associated science and technology park has projects that could be started tomorrow – projects that in turn provide the innovation that drive the nation.

“Our Association is ready, willing and very capable.”

Dale Gann

President, AURP Canada

GenoLogics today announced that The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children is deploying its lab and data management solution across multiple facilities of its genome centre.

The Centre for Applied Genomics (TCAG) is dedicated to conducting and promoting groundbreaking research in genomics in support of academic, government and private sector scientists worldwide. The GenoLogics solution will be deployed for TCAG’s Microarray Analysis and Gene Expression Facility, DNA Sequencing and Synthesis Facility, Cytogenomics and Genome Resources Facility and Genetic and Statistical Analysis Facility.

“We required a single LIMS that was flexible enough to automate data capture and workflows for each service provided, while still being able to integrate billing, reporting and sample tracking across the entire operation“, said Dr. Steve Scherer, Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics. “The solution from GenoLogics was the only one with proven capabilities to integrate data across the multiple platforms we use, while also meeting our need to effectively and efficiently serve customers around the world.”

Since Geneus is designed for the unique needs of genomics core facilities, the lab and data management solution can be deployed quickly to provide TCAG with immediate value. Pre-configured integrations to more than 20 of the instruments in use at TCAG means Geneus will improve efficiencies, data quality and workflow management for the entire operation. TCAG is also deploying GenoLogics’ web collaboration tool, LabLink, and adaptive reporting engine in order to easily generate and share information with its customers.

“GenoLogics has invested considerable resources in working closely with leading instrument vendors such as Illumina, ABI and Affymetrix to ensure our informatics platform is tightly integrated with multiple instruments,” said Sal Sanci, VP of Product Management for GenoLogics. “Our capability to provide organizations such as TCAG with an end-to-end, lab and data management solution is because we are exclusively focused on serving the unique needs of life sciences research.”

GenoLogics provides research organizations with informatics solutions for multiple sciences such as genomics and proteomics. Delivered as a set of modules on a common informatics platform, our solutions manage operations across multiple facilities, while integrating research data and providing superior sample traceability. When deployed with our automated bioinformatics pipelining system, GenoLogics solutions for discovery labs transform data into results and enable analysis.

About GenoLogics

GenoLogics is the leading provider of informatics solutions for translational research, spanning both the discovery and biomedical research domains. Our science purposed modules for discovery research are complemented by a highly configurable, integrating lab informatics platform that is scalable to service many labs and sciences across an organization. Our Biomedical Informatics product suite allows labs to track and manage their biospecimen and clinical annotations data, while aggregating results with our Research Informatics solution for a holistic view. For more information, please visit www.genologics.com.

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GenoLogics Contact:                                                 

Bobbi Leach

Manager, Marketing Communications

250.483.7063

roberta.leach@genologics.com

So far British Columbia has not been hit as hard by the economic downturn than other areas in the world, but illiquid credit markets, dropping real estate values, diminishing construction activity, a battered forestry sector and the drastic drop in commodity prices promise difficult times ahead.

Thanks to the fiscal discipline and resulting surpluses both federally and provincially, governments of both levels have the flexibility and means to invest counter-cyclically and have declared their intention to do so through infrastructure investments and other measures.

Infrastructure investments in times of economic downturns make sense: they mitigate the negative effects of the downturn, allow governments to take advantage of competitive pricing and afford the long term benefit of a modernized, better infrastructure. These investments can also position the economy to come out of the downturn stronger, more productive and more competitive.

However, we have to think beyond the traditional understanding of infrastructure that includes roads, bridges and buildings. In the 21st century our information technologies and communications infrastructure is equally important. Inefficiencies in computer and communications networks may be less visible than road congestion and pot holes, but they are as damaging to the smooth functioning of our infrastructure.

There are three main areas of technology infrastructure investments we believe our governments need to consider: Modernizing the governments’ own communications and IT infrastructure; improving the technology industry infrastructure and accelerating carbon reduction investments.

Modernizing government communications and IT infrastructure
In many areas governments are underutilizing information technology systems or are trying to make do with outdated hardware and software that cannot deliver the connectivity, flexibility, and self-service capabilities of modern systems. Governments need to re-invent themselves around new information technology systems that increase their efficiency and productivity. Through this re-invention, governments will also create new opportunities for the technology industry, including exportable expertise and meaningful work for Canadians.

    • Upgrading the government’s legacy IT infrastructure – By upgrading their own IT infrastructure and legacy systems, governments can improve service delivery, particularly e-government initiatives, and improve productivity. 
 
    • Improving and connecting health information systems – The one public sector area with probably the largest productivity gain potential is the area of Health Services.  While the electronic health record has been discussed for years, it is time that it happened.  Baby boomers continue to age and increase their use of the health care system.  Without investments that increase the systems efficiency, health care costs will continue to skyrocket in the future.

    • Re-investing the $4B in wireless license revenues into the wireless sector – The $4 billion in revenues that the federal government extracted from wireless telcos in 2008 in the name of spectrum licensing and competitiveness should be re-invested into initiatives that leverage wireless technologies to improve corporate and public sector productivity and service delivery.

Improving the technology industry infrastructure
Where governments are looking to invest in traditional infrastructure that protects construction jobs, consideration should be given to projects that leverage the intellectual capacity of Canadians. Specifically, we recommend:

    • Completing the last mile of the digital divide – With a growing need for alternative economic opportunities in the Interior and North, the completion of broadband Internet access for remote communities becomes even more critical. While the Province has made substantial investment to date, greater access, particularly ‘last mile’ solutions are still needed.

    • Create collaborative technology parks – Research Parks in BC have a successful track record in providing an environment to launch dozens of high-tech companies, including many technology transfer spin-outs.  Increased industry-to-industry and industry-to-academia collaborations, and increased co-op and intern placement opportunities helps to create a ‘market’ focus for BC’s research innovations.

    • Improving research facilities – To create tomorrow’s innovations, today’s researchers need world-class facilities for their research. Better facilities provide the tools required for exploration while also creating an environment to attract and retain the world’s greatest minds.

Accelerating carbon reduction investments
The BC government has made the reduction of carbon emissions a key initiative for our province, including goals like carbon neutrality of the BC Government’s operations by 2010 and electricity self sufficiency by 2016. To achieve these goals, not just the provincial government, but all levels of government need to look at accelerating their carbon reduction investments.

When it comes to power, dams and power lines are still important; however, today’s definition of infrastructure must also include systems that produce power closer to the point of consumption.  Specifically, opportunities for infrastructure investments exist in:

    • Green power projects – Several technologies are emerging for power generation, including wind, tidal, solar power and biomass, as well as solutions that create power from waste and landfills. Aside from producing power more cleanly, these projects often have a smaller footprint and do not create the environmental impacts that often delay and derail large projects.

    • Public sector carbon neutrality investments – Similar to the IT investments suggested, governments should be investing in internal infrastructure projects that reduce their footprint while also creating exportable expertise for Canadian vendors.

By investing smartly into the broad public sector, governments can use the economic stimulus investments to create new opportunities for companies in the technology industry, not only as a short term stimulus, but also as a longer term increase in competitiveness.

Infrastructure investments have to go beyond bricks and mortar. 

I therefore call upon technology sector and our governments to develop new ideas, plans, projects, and recommendations that will help our economy manage this downturn smartly and prepare our Province and Country for its recovery and growth.

Sincerely,

Pascal Spothelfer
President & CEO 

Avocet 3D has just been awarded a large contract to visualize the interior and exterior of a yacht designed by Gregory C. Marshall N.A. Ltd. The project will consist of creating images of major interior spaces showing the stunning decor and design layout. Avocet 3D Images will also create images of the exterior in a variety of situations such as underway and a anchour.

For more information:
Dennet Woodland
Avocet 3D Images
250.483.3264

Avocet 3D has just been awarded a large contract to visualize the interior and exterior of a yacht designed by Gregory C. Marshall N.A. Ltd. The project will consist of creating images of major interior spaces showing the stunning decor and design layout. Avocet 3D Images will also create images of the exterior in a variety of situations such as underway and a anchour.

Avocet 3D Images has just received the go ahead to proceed on visualization of the proposed UVic Ocean Technology Park to be based on the west shore of Saanich peninsula on Vancouver Island. Using new techniques, Avocet 3D can create a computer model that allows the designers and engineers to manipulate the virtual environment to discover any conflicts that may exist in the design. Once the initial model has been created and signed off, photorealistic images will be created of the site to be used in marketing and sales The centre will house a tank testing facility, for testing ocean going vessels in a variety of situations. It will also consist of other related companies that either research the ocean environment or capitalize on products that pertain to the ocean environment.

Work on visualization will commence immediately.

For more information:
Dennet Woodland
Avocet 3D Images
250.483.3264