VANCOUVER, B.C., May 21, 2025 - Through the Province’s Integrated Marketplace (IM) program, delivered by Innovate BC, $3.38M in funding has been awarded to eight projects to support the development of innovative solutions across partnering Testbeds representing key provincial industries.
“B.C. is home to an incredible technology sector, building solutions to respond to challenges here at home and globally,” said Diana Gibson, B.C.’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “Through the Integrated Marketplace, innovative companies from across the province can work through regional or conceptual Testbeds to scale their business and contribute to a stronger and more diverse economy that will bring well-paying jobs to British Columbians.”
Created to help drive innovation in the province, the Integrated Marketplace program supports projects that connect strategic partners operating at Testbeds to B.C.-based solution providers to implement, scale, and export B.C. technology solutions. Each of the awarded projects is addressing priority areas for the Testbeds, including emission reduction, workplace safety, and operational optimization.
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) Testbed
- $1,000,000 was awarded to a project with Tymac Boat Launch Services and 3GA Marine, to support the development of an Electric Water Taxi that will serve as an alternative to a conventional fossil fuel-powered marine vessel without compromising operational capabilities.
- $1,000,000 was awarded to a project supporting PKM Canada Marine Terminal Limited Partnership to install a high-tech crane to semi-automate a manual process on railcars, promoting health and safety at the Vancouver Wharves.
- $575,000 was awarded to Pacific Pilotage Authority (PPA) to compare the hyper localized forecasts provided by MarineLabs’ Forecast AI with traditionally created forecasts, enabling them to assess its ability to inform operating decisions related to wind, wave, and visibility conditions.
- $122,500 was awarded to a project supporting the visualization of marine and rail traffic operating in the vicinity of the Second Narrows Bridge and will characterize the movements taken by various types of traffic, including any meaningful delays caused by the raising and lowering of the Second Narrows Bridge. The data will be used to calculate efficiencies to determine the optimal schedule for raising and lowering the bridge.
- $71,653 was awarded to a project with Simon Fraser University’s Big Data team, aimed at forecasting import container volumes up to six weeks in advance, enabling supply chain partners to plan operations and allocate resources more efficiently.
Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) Testbed
- $287,000 was awarded to a project supporting a partnership between MindfulGarden Digital Health and the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation’s Advancing Innovation in Medicine Institute, testing MindfulGarden’s proprietary software designed to reduce agitation through interactive biofeedback loops, minimizing the need for antipsychotics and physical restraints associated with delirium in critical care patients.
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Testbed
- $182,000 was awarded to a project supporting a partnership between Hallor Group and Strategic Aviation, focussed on testing electric powered ground support equipment (GSE) for airport operations.
- $143,360 was awarded to a project supporting a partnership between KF Aerospace and Hallor Group which will see two internal combustion engine baggage tractors replaced with electric cabbed tractors at YVR. The new electric units are expected to improve operational efficiency and reliability while reducing fuel consumption and costs.
The Integrated Marketplace’s unique framework allows B.C. industries to receive assistance and reduce the risks in adopting innovation and new technologies, boosting their productivity and competitiveness, while connecting these solution providers with valuable Canadian reference customers that support their growth.
The insights and data gathered through these innovation projects will not only help validate the individual solutions but also inform future use-cases across a broad range of applications. By supporting early-stage development and real-world testing, these projects contribute to refining technologies, expanding their scalability, and laying the groundwork for broader adoption across relevant industries.
“The Integrated Marketplace not only empowers B.C. solution providers to support some of the province’s most vital industries, with Testbeds serving as proving grounds for these innovations, it’s a platform for local companies to market and export their products to customers outside of B.C., imprinting homegrown solutions onto global opportunities,” said Peter Cowan, President + CEO, Innovate BC, “It’s a win for the companies scaling their solutions and driving change, a win for the industries they strengthen, and a win for our communities — who benefit from more jobs, stronger productivity, and a more prosperous, resilient economy.”
This announcement is part of the Government of B.C.’s investment in the Integrated Marketplace, which includes an initial commitment of $11.5 million and a recently announced additional $30 million over the next three years, and the Government of Canada’s investment, through PacifiCan, of $9.9 million.
Additional Quotes
Catherine Winckler, Founder + CEO, MindfulGarden
“The Integrated Marketplace program is invaluable for a HealthTech company. It helps bridge the gap between clinical validation and in situ evaluations-to-sales which form the basis of a commercialization strategy that has MindfulGarden looking to Canada and Asia through 2026.”
John Wilson, CEO, Pacific Pilotage Authority
“The integration of MarineLabs’ CoastAware platform, with its hyper-localized real-time data and Forecast AI, has strengthened the safety and efficiency of our operations. For our launch and helicopter crews, it provides critical environmental data at pilot boarding stations to support safer transfer planning. And for pilots navigating ships in and out of terminals, it offers an additional layer of situational awareness that supports informed real-time decision-making. This collaboration is a great example of how innovation can advance both safety and service reliability.”
Dean Kneider, CEO, Hallor Group
“Innovate BC’s funding serves as a critical catalyst in advancing innovative technologies from local development to commercialization. For our small B.C.-based manufacturing enterprise, this support enables us to bring next-generation ground support equipment (GSE) to the market. The impact in deploying our electric vehicles has allowed for enhanced operational efficiency at airports, reduced emissions and operational costs, fostered domestic manufacturing capabilities, and contributing to the broader applications in aerospace and transportation sectors.”
Jeff Norris, President and CEO, Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation
At Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, we believe that innovation in health care does not start and stop at the hospital doors — it can be found anywhere bold ideas take root. Through our Advancing Innovation in Medicine (AIM) initiative, we are proud to support promising solutions that improve patient care, reduce harm, and push the boundaries of what is possible in medicine. Part of our role is to uncover and enable breakthroughs, wherever they are found, and bring them to the bedside. This partnership with MindfulGarden is one such example — a homegrown innovation with the potential to transform how we support some of our most vulnerable patients.”
Daniel McIntyre, Vice President, 3GA Marine Ltd.
"Our Westcoast marine market primarily functions on diesel fuel, with 90% of the world's goods transported by vessels that rely heavily on fossil fuels. At 3GA Marine, we aim to change this dynamic by leveraging the abundant clean, renewable hydro power available here in B.C. Through innovative vessel design and advanced electric propulsion technology, we've developed a commercially viable, all-electric water taxi. This transformation starts with our partnership with Tymac Launch Service, who provide the crucial commercial pathway as the vessel's owner-operator. Innovate BC’s Integrated Marketplace program has been instrumental in bringing this visionary project from concept to reality."
About Innovate BC
A Crown Agency of British Columbia, Innovate BC works to foster innovation across the province and bolster the growth of the local economy through delivering a wide range of programs that help companies start and scale, access talent and encourage technology development, commercialization, and adoption. Innovate BC also harnesses crucial data collection and research, and works to forge strategic industry and community partnerships that create more opportunities for B.C. innovators.
Media Contact
Michael Gleboff
Communications + Community Manager
mgleboff@innovatebc.ca
604-602-5210
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