IBM wants B.C.'s help

Some major corporations will soon be looking to B.C. entrepreneurs for help.

A new project from the BC Innovation Council will see companies like IBM and FortisBC criss-cross the province on a “regional innovation tour.”

As part of the tour, the corporations will approach local entrepreneurs and tech companies in several B.C. cities with specific challenges they are facing.

The local companies can then take a crack at solving those problems, offering them a chance to showcase what they can do and hopefully provide them with an immediate market on a national or even global level.

Amrik Virk, the province’s minister of technology, innovation and citizens’ services, said the tour will give local businesses “an opportunity to showcase to other companies what their innovations can do.

“For hundreds of regional businesses, these are business opportunities waiting to happen, that can lead to global business deals and spin-offs for the local B.C. economy,” Virk said.

The Regional Innovation Opportunities tour will take place throughout February and March, hitting Prince George, Victoria, Kamloops, the West Kootenay, Nanaimo, Terrace and Kelowna.

For more information visit the BCIC’s website.