Providing startup help in Victoria and more, the Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP), a University of Victoria Enterprise, facilitates the growth of technology on Vancouver Island by providing physical infrastructure that links provincial, national and international resources with emerging or growing tech companies.
Located in Victoria, British Columbia, BC’s second largest tech sector, the Park is a major centre for technology activity, and is easily accessible from Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and other Pacific Rim locations. As Canada’s first LEED Gold Project, VITP concentrates on partnerships with organizations such as the IDC, VIATeC, NRC-IRAP, and universities and colleges to better assist the hi-tech community.
With more than 191,000 square feet of rentable area in Phase I, VITP has designed a Master Plan that will accommodate an additional 250,000 sq. ft., which can provide an ideal environment for growing technology companies. The Park offers wet lab capability, specialized electrical and venting systems, and the latest data transfer technology. Flexible designs allow for the changing requirements of existing tenants, as well as the needs of new start-up companies.
VITP’s 35 acres house a modern research and technology centre that enhances the creativity and productivity of its tenants by clustering fuel cell, new media, wireless, life science/biotech, ocean technology and ICT companies while providing amenities such as a fitness studio. At present, VITP’s Phase I has a 97% occupancy rate and has embarked on a master planning exercise to accommodate further growth that exists in our marketplace.
VITP provides an environment where the physical closeness of complementary firms, industry partners, business mentors and support facilities, and investors allows small and growing firms to thrive. VITP’s customers are high-tech companies of varying size – software developers, biotech and pharmaceutical labs, research and consulting firms, and venture capitalists.
The strengths of VITP’s offering include its world-class environmental design and state-of-the-art facilities, as well as its position at the centre of Vancouver Island’s academic, investment, and research and development communities. The Park’s market niche is defined not just in real estate terms, but in strategic economic development terms. VITP is zoned P12 for Research and Technology Development – not a mix of high-tech, industrial and commercial, but 100% high-tech.