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#1 G-Man

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Posted 18 September 2007 - 06:50 AM

There is a major expansion being proposed for the Vancouver Island Technology Park.

I like the idea behind the Tech Park, but hate where it is, though I guess the same square footage near downtown would be insanely expensive thereby destroying the chances for startups. Anyways Saanich has now approved the plan.

Article from TC is here http://www.canada.co...fbf0bf8&k=11427

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#2 rchauhan

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Posted 22 September 2007 - 08:14 PM

Here is a rendering of the entire project from the Vancouver Island Technology Park master plan:



#3 amor de cosmos

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Posted 22 September 2007 - 08:27 PM

looks good. that building across the road had to go. it looked really weird :-P

#4 amor de cosmos

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Posted 08 October 2007 - 11:58 AM

The expansions will more than double the floorspace of the tech park. This probably has a lot to do with the federal government's "Mobilizing Science & Technology to Canada's Advantage" science & technology strategy released in May this year, which will encourage more private investment in R&D and commercialization of academic research.
[url=http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/ic1.nsf/en/h_00231e.html:c60e1]Mobilizing Science & Technology to Canada's Advantage[/url:c60e1]
UVic probably wouldn't make such a huge expansion if it were difficult for private businesses to invest in R&D. Now that Saanich is part of the BizPal network engineers, chemists/biochemists, geographers, environmentalists, biologists & everyone else will have an easier time starting up their hi-tech business at the tech park, and there will be plenty of room for them. Maybe this will stop the 'brain drain' to the US.

#5 Mike K.

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Posted 08 October 2007 - 12:05 PM

Wrt brain drain, if local companies can pay the sorts of wages US companies pay, then perhaps.

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#6 spanky123

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Posted 18 October 2007 - 05:13 AM

With the CDN $$ above the US, many Victoria workers are now being paid more than their US counterparts!

#7 G-Man

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Posted 18 October 2007 - 06:38 AM

^ Word just got back from a trip to the States. It is better than Mexico down there. Offtopic but did anyone see the article in the Newyorker last week "The Greenback Blues"

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2007/10/08/071008ta_talk_surowiecki

Talks about why americans don't notice the fall of their dollar. Seems to me that Canada is in a unique situation to benefit as our dollar goes up but product prices flatline in the states.

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#8 spanky123

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Posted 18 October 2007 - 05:35 PM

There is a major expansion being proposed for the Vancouver Island Technology Park.

I like the idea behind the Tech Park, but hate where it is, though I guess the same square footage near downtown would be insanely expensive thereby destroying the chances for startups. Anyways Saanich has now approved the plan.

Article from TC is here http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=da38fea1-0220-42ae-9fc0-5a49afbf0bf8&k=11427


In fact it is the rent at the tech park that is insanely expensive ever since UVIC took over. Companies (the latest being etraffic) are starting to move out of the tech park as management wants up to $30 sq/ft for space. Good luck to them trying to lease a new building, unless of course they just move more UVIC offices into it.

Best part about being Government however is that money doesn't matter as long as you look good during the sound bite.

#9 amor de cosmos

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Posted 23 October 2007 - 02:20 PM

Wrt brain drain, if local companies can pay the sorts of wages US companies pay, then perhaps.



In today's Vancouver Sun:

Technology professionals, take heart. You can expect an average 3.7-per-cent pay increase next year, according to a national survey by Robert Half Technology. Workers most in demand -- project managers, applications and Web developers, network managers and technical support -- will do much better with increases as high as 7.6 per cent. That places their wages between $87,000 and $110,750 annually.

Other information technology groups expected to see increases above the average are:
- Software developers with a predicted 5.6-per-cent wage increase to a range of $55,000 to $85,250 a year.
- Help-desk professionals with an increase of 4.6 per cent, bring starting salaries between $32,000 and $41,750 annually, on average.
- E-mail and related messaging administrators should see starting salaries increase 6.1 per cent, to a range of $51,000 to $65,750 annually.
- Project managers and senior consultants can expect base compensation in the range of $77,250 to $113,750, a gain of 6.7 per cent over 2007.
- Network architect base pay should rise 5.8 per cent next year, to a range of $75,000 to $101,750.
- Business systems analysts will get a 4.5-per-cent increase on average to a range of $64,000 to $87,500.

http://www.canada.co... ... d8e46d6836

I don't know how that compares with wages in the US but that's a pretty nice raise if you ask me.

#10 amor de cosmos

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Posted 26 October 2007 - 09:06 AM

Looks like UVic got in on the ground floor :P IIRC they bought VITP within a year of it opening, back in 2002 or 2003.

University Research Parks Contribute to Economic Competitiveness of Regions, States and Nations

<< New comprehensive report outlines emerging impact of parks >>

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 26 /CNW/ -- University Research Parks are emerging as strong sources of entrepreneurship, talent and economic competitiveness according to a new report, Characteristics and Trends in North American Research Parks: 21st Century Directions, prepared by Battelle's Technology Partnership Practice (TPP) in partnership with the Association of University Research Parks (AURP).

TPP helps clients develop and implement strategies to drive technology-based economic development by using tools, such as research parks, to make universities and other research institutions key drivers of economic development. AURP is a non-profit association that promotes the development and operation of research parks.

A survey of 134 university research parks in the United States and Canada
revealed that:
-- More than 300,000 workers in North America work in a located in a university research park.
-- 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 750,000 jobs.

"A new model is emerging," said Walter H. Plosila, Vice-President, Battelle TPP. "What we're seeing are strategically planned, mixed-use campuses designed to create an environment that fosters collaboration and innovation and promotes the development, transfer and commercialization of technology," he said. "Research parks have become a key element of the technology infrastructure supporting the growth of today's knowledge economy."

"Research parks are key drivers of regional development," said J. Michael Bowman, President of the AURP Board of Directors and Chairman & President, Delaware Technology Park. Research parks were traditionally established to recruit R&D and technology companies to locate near a university in order to build a cluster of high technology companies.

Today, research parks increasingly spur homegrown business startups, retention and expansion with a focus on providing commercialization and business development support in addition to space for talent retention.

"Research and technology parks have exhibited a strong ability to attract and retain talent, which in turn, allows us to create a critical mass that can yield high economic opportunities for our regions," said Dale Gann, President of AURP Canada and Vice President-Technology Parks, Vancouver Island Technology Park.

"Important success factors for technology-led economic development include the commitment of university leadership and the local economic development community. This report is the first to quantify actual results of science parks as an important economic development tool," said Eileen Walker, Executive Director of AURP.

A full copy of Trends and Characteristics in North American Research Parks: 21st Century Directions can be found at http://www.battelle.org, http://www.aurp.net and http://www.aurpcanada.ca. Sponsors of the report include Research Triangle Park and The University Financing Foundation.


http://www.newswire.... ... c8715.html

final report here:
http://www.aurp.net/...nalBattelle.pdf

#11 spanky123

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Posted 27 October 2007 - 09:36 AM

[quote name='amor de cosmos'][quote name='"Mike K.":954ad']Wrt brain drain, if local companies can pay the sorts of wages US companies pay, then perhaps.[/quote]


In today's Vancouver Sun:
[quote]Technology professionals, take heart. You can expect an average 3.7-per-cent pay increase next year, according to a national survey by Robert Half Technology. Workers most in demand -- project managers, applications and Web developers, network managers and technical support -- will do much better with increases as high as 7.6 per cent. That places their wages between $87,000 and $110,750 annually.

Other information technology groups expected to see increases above the average are:
- Software developers with a predicted 5.6-per-cent wage increase to a range of $55,000 to $85,250 a year.
- Help-desk professionals with an increase of 4.6 per cent, bring starting salaries between $32,000 and $41,750 annually, on average.
- E-mail and related messaging administrators should see starting salaries increase 6.1 per cent, to a range of $51,000 to $65,750 annually.
- Project managers and senior consultants can expect base compensation in the range of $77,250 to $113,750, a gain of 6.7 per cent over 2007.
- Network architect base pay should rise 5.8 per cent next year, to a range of $75,000 to $101,750.
- Business systems analysts will get a 4.5-per-cent increase on average to a range of $64,000 to $87,500.[/quote]
http://www.canada.co... ... d8e46d6836

I don't know how that compares with wages in the US but that's a pretty nice raise if you ask me.[/quote:954ad]

Familar with the survey. Unfortunately it measures mostly large companies (> 200 employees) and does not reflect reality in many BC markets.

#12 spanky123

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Posted 27 October 2007 - 09:41 AM

The other thing to bear in mind is that the survey company was the Robert Half company is a finance and accounting placement agency. They are trying to break into the tech market and what better way to do that then to let people think that they have some magic bullet for getting people high paying jobs.

With the Canadian dollar soaring try going to them and say that you want to get hooked up with one of them $80K a year webmaster jobs in Victoria and see how far it gets you!

#13 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 27 October 2007 - 08:59 PM

^ Programmers who are actually any good -- vs. who simply think they're good -- can get those salaries, even finally.at.last - thought.the.day.would.never.come - in Victoria. Took a while, but it's no longer possible to tell the talented, "uh, we'll pay you $50K and the difference is that you have the privilege of living here" (because, face it, everyone knows it's as expensive -- if not more so -- to live in Victoria than anywhere else in Canada, and the scenery doesn't pay the mortgage/ rent or the grocery bill...). Companies in Victoria and regionally are having a really hard time finding talented qualified programmers. Microsoft opened a Richmond office simply to take advantage of the more lenient immigration rules in Canada: MS is so desperate for talent, they opened in Richmond so they can get the talent from India and China ...because they can't find it easily and in plentiful enough supply in the US, or in Canada. The same holds for all the other big companies in Seattle/ Redmond: they're sreaming for great programmers and software engineers. And now even l'il olde Victoria companies are feeling that pinch, and they know they have to offer appropriate salaries to the right people.
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#14 spanky123

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Posted 28 October 2007 - 03:52 PM

Big difference between the top programmers being able to get the average salaries listed in the survey vs the true average salaries!

Problem is that top programmers don't stay in Victoria or Vancouver because they can make 2x as much in the valley or New York.

#15 amor de cosmos

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Posted 05 November 2007 - 05:51 PM

Universities could play a greater role in regional development, says OECD

19/09/2007 - Universities could play a stronger role in the economic, cultural and social development of their regions, according to a new OECD report. Higher Education and Regions: Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged argues that regional engagement by universities is beneficial both to local development and the institutions themselves.

The report is the outcome of a three-year study by the OECD’s Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) and the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate. Drawing on reviews of 14 regions in 12 countries as well as OECD territorial reviews, it offers findings that can be usefully applied by national and regional governments and higher education institutions.

Among the conclusions of the study is that the potential of higher education institutions to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of their regions is far from being fully realised. For example, it is estimated that only 10% of UK firms currently interact with universities. Most university-industry links focus on big business and a few hi-tech fields. At the same time, services account for 70% of the OECD workforce and cultural industries are becoming a major driver globally, accounting for 7% of GDP and growing at 10% annually.

The report analyses the barriers to improvement, and suggests that universities should adopt a wide agenda of regional development - economic, social or cultural. It recommends that greater autonomy and better incentives be given to institutions and their staff to engage with small and medium-sized business. It also recommends that countries should provide a more supportive environment for university-enterprise co-operation including regulatory and tax environment.

The report suggests that instead of focusing on the supply-side of knowledge transfer, countries should develop business demand for university interaction. Universities themselves should become more entrepreneurial, widen their service portfolio and address the needs of wider range of firms and employers. The report emphasises the importance of “knowledge transfer on legs” - i.e. the students and graduates who can be one of the most effective mechanisms for knowledge transfer.

Innovation is not only a national matter. Globalisation has brought along with it a “death of distance” which in principle enables any place with an internet connection to participate in the knowledge economy. Nevertheless, proximity plays a role and innovation continues to cluster around regions with vibrant communities, skilled people and universities. Higher education institutions are an underexploited link to the global knowledge economy and can provide gateways to the private sector.

*snip*

http://www.oecd.org/... ... 55,00.html

#16 amor de cosmos

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 01:20 PM

Vancouver Island Technolgy Park selected to join Microsoft BizSpark Program
January 08, 2009

(Victoria, British Columbia) The Vancouver Island Technology Park today announced that it has been selected to join the Microsoft BizSpark Program as a Network Partner. The BizSpark Program is a new global program designed to accelerate the success of early stage Startups by connecting them to Network Partners: active members of the global software ecosystem who can provide mentorship, guidance and resources to BizSpark Startups. BizSpark creates an ongoing, mutually beneficial ecosystem between Microsoft, Startups and Network Partners.

"The Vancouver Island Technology Park continues to search for innovative ways in which we can assist our young companies," says Av Hundle, Manager, Business Development and Marketing. "We are deligted to be selected by Microsoft BizSpark to provide such an offering to our hi-tech community in Victoria. It is our responsibility as a technology park to continue to assist and foster the ideas of tomorrow."

Microsoft is committed to helping entrepreneurs transform their ambitions into sustainable, dynamic businesses and to foster innovation and entrepreneurialism. To this end, the BizSpark Program provides Startups with software, support and visibility at a time when they are most valuable and least affordable—during their first three years, with no upfront costs and minimal requirements.

"We understand the difficulties startups face in trying to create a viable, scalable and sustainable business, especially in today's economy," says Martin Schray of Microsoft Corp. "Microsoft BizSpark provides startups with a unique opportunity to grow their business by taking advantage of the breadth of the Microsoft platform, our global partner ecosystem and new ways to gain market exposure."

BizSpark gives Startups fast and easy access to Microsoft's current full-featured development tools, platform technologies as well as production licenses to bring to market innovative and interoperable solutions for the next generation of user experiences.

To be eligible for the Microsoft BizSpark Program, Startups must be actively engaged in development of a software-based product or service that is a core piece of their business model, have been in business less than three years, and have less than USD$1M in revenue. Startups may enroll for the program by obtaining sponsorship from a designated BizSpark Network partner.

http://www.viatec.ca/News.aspx?id=1992

#17 Holden West

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 02:28 PM

If they meet up with the local Democamp crowd you could really get a critical mass of tech knowledge going.
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#18 spanky123

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 02:56 PM

If they meet up with the local Democamp crowd you could really get a critical mass of tech knowledge going.


Good idea but I wonder if they will continue on with the program given that 2 of 3 "money people" are developers and I bet they don't feel so wealthy these days!

#19 G-Man

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 03:22 PM

Wasn't it the Jawls and Chard? Their projects seem to be doing well. Juliet is all but sold out and the Jawls are mostly in commercial properties.

#20 Thallin

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 05:48 PM

When will the building start, has it already started and will it only be for new startups? The business I work for is small in size but growing and needs to be positioned in a place that is marketable, (read: presentable). We develop hardware and software.

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