Vancouver, British Columbia, June 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Limited time is left to submit applications for Innovate BC’s Ignite program. The deadline for applications this year is July 4, 2022.
The Ignite program presents an exciting future to British Columbians as it offers up to $300,000 to academic and industry teams pursuing R&D projects that benefit people in the areas of natural resources, engineering, or applied science. Supporting the Province of B.C.’s Stronger BC Economic Plan, the Ignite program helps aid BC businesses with the funds needed to add value to industries, create new jobs, and accelerate growth in B.C.’s economy.
“Through the Ignite Program, we are helping to give innovators the opportunity to get their projects off the ground and moving forward,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “These projects focused on natural resources, applied sciences and engineering fields have the chance to solve real-world problems and will contribute to building a StrongerBC for all of us. I encourage every business eligible to apply and capitalize on this great opportunity.”
The funding offered through the Ignite program opens doors to many BC-based companies and their academia partners working to solve significant challenges seen in B.C. Former Ignite winning projects provided solutions in the area of cleantech, energy, mining, forestry, and agriculture, to name a few.
“We encourage B.C.’s trailblazers to access our Ignite Program, which has helped bring so many remarkable innovations to the market that are solving real world problems,” says Raghwa Gopal, Innovate BC President + CEO. “It’s so inspiring to see past Ignite winners achieve spectacular success with their homegrown innovations. I can’t wait to see how the program grows in the coming year.”
“We hope this will spark interest in the Ignite Program for people starting out in these industries, in particular for women and people from Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities,” said Brenda Bailey, Parliamentary Secretary for Technology and Innovation. “This program is helping to create a more inclusive and equitable playing field by helping companies start up and train talent.”
To date, Innovate BC’s Ignite program has awarded funding to 34 projects for a total value of $8.5M.
Applications are reviewed by a team of evaluators with a broad range of expertise within industry and academia. Innovate BC is pleased to welcome to the review panel this year: Ryan St. Germaine (Proven Startup CEO, advisor, connector and mentor for technology companies), Hayden Francis (Venture Partner, BC Centre for Innovation & Clean Energy), Dr. Cynthia Shippam (Industrial Technology Advisor, NRC IRAP), Alexa Young (Vice President, Government and Public Affairs, BC Council of Forest Industries), and Jason Crawford (Vice President, Drug Discovery, Gandeeva Therapeutics).
Innovate BC is excited to support the commercialization of groundbreaking innovations through the Ignite program. Learn more about past winners here.
Applications are open until July 4, 2022, at 11:59 PM PDT. Learn more and apply here.
Want to know how to make your application stand out? Click here.
About Innovate BC
Innovate BC helps foster innovation in B.C. so that British Columbians in all regions of the province can benefit from a thriving, sustainable, and inclusive innovation economy. A Crown Agency of British Columbia, Innovate BC funds and delivers programs that support the growth of the B.C. economy by helping companies start and scale, train talent that meets labour market needs, and encourage technology development, commercialization, and adoption.
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