Innovate BC (formally the BC Innovation Council or BCIC) is a Crown Agency of the Province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

, Canada, which funds entrepreneurial support programs in the province. Innovate BC focuses on the support of technology

startups A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...

and

entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

through programs, sponsorship and competitionsBCIC-New Ventures Competition: About NVBC
Retrieved on 2015-06-23 that facilitate technology commercialization. Innovate BC is a provincially funded agency that emphasizes services to support company growth, resulting in jobs, increased revenue and economic development through technology and innovation. Note, Innovate BC and Innovate Vancouver are separate entities.

History

Innovate BC was first formed in 2004 after a merging of the Advanced Science Institute BC and the Innovation and Science Council of British Columbia. In 2018, they were renamed Innovate BC.

References

{{British Columbia crown corporations Crown corporations of British Columbia 2004 establishments in British Columbia Government agencies established in 2004