New cross-border initiatives to connect Washington state and British Columbia.
SEATTLE, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from
Washington state and British Columbia today announced a suite of
new initiatives focused on improving connectivity, strengthening
innovation and generating economic opportunity.
Launched in September 2016 in
Vancouver, British Columbia, the
Cascadia Innovation Corridor is built upon a shared spirit of
creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The Corridor boasts
world-renowned research organizations and global corporate leaders
in a diverse array of existing and emerging technology disciplines,
including aviation and aeronautics; software development; cloud
computing; online retailing; big data transmission, storage and
analysis; the Internet of things; mobile communications;
biotechnology and the life sciences; and global health.
Governments, universities, companies, research institutions and
others have joined together to tap the potential of the
Cascadia region to create new and
exciting economic opportunities while celebrating cultural
diversity and inclusion.
By focusing on research, economic development and
transportation, the Cascadia Innovation Corridor is enhancing
greater connectivity, productivity and innovation for the nearly 12
million people living in British
Columbia and Washington
State.
Announcements today include these:
- Three internationally recognized polytechnics have joined
forces to provide industry aligned, high-skill talent for the
Cascadia Corridor's workforce needs. British Columbia Institute of
Technology, Lake Washington Institute of Technology and
Oregon Institute of Technology will
collaborate to leverage their applied education offerings in
high-demand STEM fields, and provide expanded professional practice
for students and career opportunities for graduates within the
Corridor's path of influence.
- Expansion of the Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) to include
the University of British Columbia.
GIX is a global partnership between major research universities and
innovative corporations to develop leaders in innovation. The
University of Washington and Tsinghua
University in Beijing are founding
partners, with support from Microsoft Corp. GIX is expanding to
include the University of British
Columbia as an academic network member, building a bridge
across the Pacific between the Cascadia
Corridor and China, and between
the higher-education community and the business community in a
manner that benefits students. More academic network partners will
be announced shortly.
- Seattle-Vancouver Financial Innovation Network. Set to
be launched in Q4 of 2017 with support from Microsoft and Madrona
Venture Group, the Seattle-Vancouver Financial Innovation Network
(FIN) will bring together leading Cascadia Corridor financial
services and technology companies and relevant U.S. and Canadian
regulatory authorities to establish an integrated international
financial center (IFC). Initial FIN programs will include promotion
of coordinated digital economy cross-border investments with an
emphasis on fintech, mixed reality, artificial intelligence,
intelligent apps and quantum computing. The long-term FIN strategic
objective is the creation of an integrated financial services
cluster that competes directly with other similar-sized IFCs, such
as Boston, Dublin, Shenzhen, Munich and Melbourne.
- Progress on transportation connecting the Cascadia region
-
- The state of Washington is
performing an in-depth feasibility study for a potential high-speed
rail line that would connect the Cascadia region. Microsoft is donating
$50,000 to supplement the
$300,000 in state funding approved
for the study.
- In addition, Harbour Air and Kenmore Air are working together
on a new seaplane route linking Seattle and Vancouver, with a final announcement expected
later this year.
- A new cross-border startup accelerator partnership among
British Columbia, Washington and
Oregon. The Canadian Consulate
General in Seattle, representing
the government of Canada, has
brought innovation partners in the three regions together to
establish the Cascadia Innovation Network (CIN), which initially
will include business incubators, accelerators and universities,
but may later include venture capital firms and other innovation
partners. The CIN focuses on bringing innovative ideas to the
public by introducing startups to cross-border funding and support
opportunities. A new memorandum of understanding will initially
bring together the University of
Washington (Co-Motion), Washington
State University, Cambia
Grove, Oregon Health and Science University, Oregon
Translational Research & Development Institute (OTRADI),
Portland State University Business
Accelerator, Innovation Boulevard (BC Health Tech Accelerator),
University of British Columbia
(e@entrepreneurship), Accelerate Okanagan, Wavefront, and
Foresight.
The two-day conference, hosted by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce,
Microsoft, Washington Roundtable and Business Council of
British Columbia, examines shared
regional opportunities and challenges, including discussions on
venture capital investment, higher education, life sciences, smart
cities and augmented reality/virtually reality.
Speakers include Washington
Governor Jay Inslee, Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minster of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan
Wilkinson, Hootsuite Chief Executive Officer Ryan Holmes, Microsoft President Brad Smith, BuildDirect President and CEO
Jeff Booth, University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce, University
of British Columbia President Santa
Ono, LifeLabs President and CEO Sue
Paish, and Harvey Mudd College
President Maria Klawe.
Quotes
Governor Jay Inslee: "This
special relationship between our two communities is worth
celebrating, cultivating and growing. Our rich history together and
our confidence in the future will allow us to tackle our biggest
challenges head-on, and do it in a way that makes sure everyone
throughout this great region has the opportunity to be a part of
the progress, and the future we create."
Premier John Horgan: "By
developing the Cascadia Innovation Corridor, we have the
opportunity to unlock even more jobs and opportunities, not just in
Metro Vancouver but across the province. We're stronger when we
work together. B.C. is looking forward to working with Gov.
Jay Inslee and Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau to develop
opportunities across Cascadia."
Brad Smith, Microsoft
President: "Last year we came together as a region to build
something that we simply can't create apart: an innovation corridor
to create more opportunity and prosperity on both sides of the
border. By linking our two cities together through cross-border
collaboration, research, funding and educational opportunities, we
will spur new economic activity and opportunity that creates a
better future for everyone."
Maud Daudon, President and
CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber
of Commerce: "We are at our best when we work together,
and the spirit of collaboration between Washington and British Columbia is alive and well. We look
forward to a lively discussion over the next two days about how we
can work together to ensure our region can continue to compete on a
global scale."
Greg D'Avignon, President and CEO, Business Council of
British Columbia: "The BC and
Washington State economies were
among the strongest in North
America last year, due in large part to the diversity of our
talent, technology and natural assets. Our two great countries,
working in collaboration through the Cascadia Corridor, can make
the Pacific Northwest a globally dominant digital innovation
cluster that will benefit the future health and prosperity of our
people, environment and economies for decades to come."
Steve Mullin, President,
Washington Roundtable: "Strong collaboration over the last year
— among policy, business and community leaders from both sides of
the border — has been exciting and catalyzing. I believe the shared
commitment to growth and innovation will lead to great
opportunities and expanded prosperity for both Washington state and British Columbia."
Michael Schutzler, CEO,
Washington Technology Industry Association:
"Cross-border collaboration is exactly what our region needs.
Business, academic and government leaders together in one room is a
unique collaboration but an integral process to achieve results. We
are proud to sponsor this year's event to bring meaningful change
to our city."
Bill Tam, CEO and President,
BC Tech Association: "It has been amazing to see the progress
of the Cascadia corridor
partnerships over the past year. This region more so than many
others demonstrates the collaboration that's needed to become among
the top tech ecosystems in the world."
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the leading platform and
productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and
its mission is to empower every person and every organization on
the planet to achieve more.
About the Seattle Metropolitan Seattle Chamber of
Commerce
The Seattle Metropolitan
(Seattle Metro) Chamber of
Commerce engages the innovation and entrepreneurship of its 2,200
members to advance economic prosperity, advocate for a vital
business environment, and build sustainable and healthy
communities in the Seattle region.
Founded in 1882 by local business leaders, the Chamber today is an
independent organization representing a regional workforce of
approximately 700,000 people. For more information, visit
www.seattlechamber.com.
About Washington Roundtable
The Washington Roundtable is a nonprofit
organization comprised of senior executives of major private
sector employers in Washington
state. Our members work together to effect positive change
on public policy issues that they believe are most important to
supporting state economic vitality and fostering opportunity for
all Washingtonians. Learn more at waroundtable.com.
About Business Council of British
Columbia
Now in its 51st year as the premier business organization
in British Columbia, the Business
Council of BC is a non-partisan organization made up of 250 leading
companies, post-secondary institutions and industry associations
from across BC's diverse economy. The Council produces exceptional
public policy research and advocacy in support of creating a
competitive economy for the benefit of all British Columbians.
About BC Tech Association
The BC Tech Association is guided by our mission to make BC the
best place to grow a tech company. For more than 20 years, BC Tech
has been providing opportunities for the tech industry to
collaborate, learn and grow together. We are dedicated to
connecting companies, developing talent, sharing stories and
advocating on behalf of tech companies to keep our industry
thriving.
Since our founding in 1993, the tech industry has quintupled to
nearly $25 billion in revenue. In
that time, we have played a privileged role in supporting the
growth of the tech community that now includes over 9,000
companies, employs more than 90,000 people and that has been one of
the strongest contributors to BC's economic growth over the past
decade.
About Washington Tech Industry Association
The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) is a
non-profit trade group. The primary mission of the WTIA is helping
Washington residents gain access
to high-wage tech-industry jobs. The WTIA acts as an independent,
unifying voice to motivate industry, education and government peers
to collaborate effectively and also uses group buying power to help
tech companies grow profitably. The WTIA group includes the 501c6
WTIA Member Trade Association, the 501c3 WTIA Workforce Institute,
and the 501c9 WTIA Voluntary Employees' Beneficiaries Association.
Apprenti is a program operated by the WTIA Workforce Institute.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.