Provincial Government Announces Support for New Innovation Centre

December 19, 2022

The Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador; the Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology; the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., federal Minister of Labour and MP for St. John’s South – Mount Pearl; and Florian Villaumé, CEO of techNL, announced $9.6 million in joint funding to establish an Innovation Centre for remote operations. This new dynamic space will serve as a hub for some of the province’s greatest homegrown technology talent, capabilities, and companies.

The establishment of an Innovation Centre for remote operations will build on exceptional levels of innovation, diversification, and collaboration. Multiple sectors and communities in the province will benefit, including technology, energy, healthcare, mining, ocean, aquaculture, and fisheries. This Innovation Centre will foster collaboration and technology growth to accelerate the development of the innovation-driven economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing $7.1 million over six years through the Innovation and Business Development Fund. The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is contributing $2.5 million over the next three years towards the Innovation Centre.

The Innovation Centre for remote operations will be located at 710 Torbay Rd in St. John’s, which was previously leased by RONA. The Centre will integrate light industrial work in warehouse space, office/hot desk space, and event space for programming. The center will address the current needs of established companies, while helping to guide rising companies pursuing remote operations in sectors such as oceans, energy, and defense, with applications for other industries.

The Innovation Centre for remote operations initiative is led by techNL, in partnership with Energy NL, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, and Energy Research and Innovation Newfoundland and Labrador, with support from many other companies and organizations.

Investments in the province’s tech and innovation sector mean more jobs and a stronger economy for the province. The technology and innovation sector is a significant employer, with approximately 600 firms and over 8,000 employees in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Quotes

“The announcement is about providing another building block to further advance the technology community, and create more opportunities for partnerships, synergies, and collaboration. Together, we are going to further transform Newfoundland and Labrador’s tech ecosystem, and encourage innovation for all stages of business. I am so excited to see this come to fruition, and can’t wait for what lays ahead.” said Honorable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“A lot of hard work and considerable effort by industry associations, research organizations, and those working towards advancing tech in our province has gone into achieving this new space. The new Innovation Centre was a key priority for the Premier and for me as Minister, and I am so happy to work with all partners to get it over the finish line,” said Honorable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

“We’ve always been globally competitive. We’ve historically been at the center of commerce and trade. And whenever the ground has shifted beneath our feet, we’ve always figured out how to regain our balance and excel. We excel at tech. Creativity is in our DNA. So, let’s take on the world.” said Honorable Seamus O’Regan Jr. Minister of Labour and MP for St. John’s South – Mount Pearl, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

“Our vision is to create a world-class ecosystem for remote operations. This funding will establish a collaborative innovation space built to address the technology development needs of established and growing companies through proximity to other innovators, collaboration, programming, access to special technology assets, and visibility. It will attract companies, partners, and investment from outside the province to our ecosystem and contribute to our vision to make the local technology sector the most sought-after technology sector in Canada.” said Florian Villaumé, CEO of techNL.

“This Innovation Centre is the largest infrastructure project we’ve seen for the Newfoundland and Labrador tech sector. The Centre will help transform the economy and encourage youth to stay in the province to work in a world-class ecosystem. We are known for our collaborative environment and the Innovation Centre will build on that unique strength.” said Jacqueline Lee, Chair of techNL and CEO of PolyUnity.