SBC Jan. 2018 Meeting – Dr. Tim Walzak, Director, Camosun Innovates & BC Regional Innovation Chair in Sport Technology

Good morning & Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you had a great holiday season and are ready and rested to get back at it 2018. We are intending to incorporate an Innovation based theme for our Sidney Breakfast Club meetings this year. The Sidney & Peninsula Industry community branded as a regional Innovation Center is helped by the following factors: 

• Sidney’s Economic Development Committee will be marketing the West Side Industrial area in 2018 & promoting an Innovation theme.
• Sidney’s official Community Plan for the West Side calls for an “Innovation” Community.
• Adam Olsen, the MLA for the region, has embraced the Innovation Agenda – note his Legislative summary here – http://adamolsen.bcgreencaucus.ca/video-statement-on-embracing-the-21st-century-economy-in-saanich-north-and-the-islands/.
• I have recently written numerous articles & blogs specific to the Innovation agenda – see a summary here – https://mfgcln.com/category/innovation-dialogue/.

Innovation based activity will succeed if supported by strong, local educational organizations. A natural leader in this respect is Camosun College. We are honoured to start our 2018 SBC Innovation themed meetings with Dr. Tim Walzak as speaker. Dr. Walzak has been active in the Canadian research and technology community for more than thirty years. At the present time Dr. Walzak is the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) BC Regional Innovation Chair in Sport Technology at Camosun College. Dr. Walzak is also the Director of Camosun Innovates, facilitating the expansion of applied research capacity at the college. From September 1998 to November 2007, Dr. Walzak was the President and CEO of the University of Victoria Innovation and Development Corporation (IDC), the technology transfer office for UVic. With more than twenty years of working at the interface between research and commercialization he has developed an extensive working knowledge of federal funding mechanisms, most notably NSERC, CFI, NRC IRAP and WED, and has facilitated more than 300 successful partnerships between universities, industry and governments.

Dr. Walzak has now been actively involved in more than 45 companies started from university-based research activities.  He is currently the Chair of the National Research Advisory Committee for the College and Institutes Canada,  member of the NSERC Pacific Advisory Board, and Board member for the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC). He is also past member of the NSERC National Committee on Partnerships, past Chair of the Westlink Innovation Network, a past Board member for BC Innovation Council, and past Chair of the Board of the Vancouver Island Advanced Technology Centre (VIATeC). 

On January 11th, Tim will present an update on recent developments at Camosun College as well as add some additional perspective on Federal funding for innovation activities. As always, the meeting is held at 7am on the 2nd Thursday of every month at the Victoria Flying Club Dakota Café. A PDF version for posting and distribution can be accessed here – Agenda – Jan 11th, 2018

Please join us on Thursday / January 11th / 7am and RSVP (john@harbourdigitalmedia.com) only if you plan on attending.