Announcement by the Government of British Columbia in partnership with Innovate BC

British Columbia Propels Healthcare Innovation with $5.3 Million Investment in AI and Advanced Technologies

The Government of British Columbia, in partnership with Innovate BC, announced a significant investment in healthcare innovation at Web Summit Vancouver 2026. Minister Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, highlighted the BC tech sector’s potential to address rising costs and pressures on essential services, particularly healthcare, from the traditional territories of local Indigenous peoples.

British Columbia’s robust tech sector, with over 12,000 companies and 180,000 employees, is poised for global impact through the Integrated Marketplace. This initiative saw the launch of ten new projects via the Integrated Market Health Test Beds at the BC Pavilion, representing a collective investment exceeding $5.3 million to tackle real-world healthcare challenges.

Notable projects include 3C Therapeutics and Variational AI, which are using artificial intelligence to accelerate the identification of new drug candidates, aiming for faster and more cost-effective treatments. Concurrently, Providence Healthcare and NZ Technologies, led by Dr. Nima Najafi, are testing touch-free technology for healthcare workers to control digital screens with hand movements, enhancing safety and reducing germ spread. Mr. Handel Kim, CEO of Variational AI, also spoke about their work.

These innovations extend to improving pathologist reviews, utilizing drones for healthcare access in rural communities, and reducing administrative burdens on nurses. These efforts are integral to the government’s “Look West” plan, which champions made-in-BC innovation to scale, commercialize, create jobs, and foster prosperity. The strategy aims to grow the tech sector by 75% and employment to 400,000 over the next decade.

Minister Rick Glumac, Minister for AI and New Technologies, cited a nearly $1 million digital pathology system project involving QuarTech, Derrick Clouding Solutions, CGI, and Provincial Laboratory Medicine Services. This initiative aims to provide specialized medical consultations to remote communities. The Integrated Marketplace’s “test beds” enable companies to de-risk new technologies in real-world settings, ensuring practical application and market readiness. Mr. Peter Cowan, CEO of Innovate BC, underscored the program’s critical role in providing innovators with avenues to validate their technology and secure significant BC customers for global expansion.

Discussions also addressed AI risks, with Minister Glumac advocating for uniform national standards for reporting alarming chatbot situations. Minister Kahlon stressed that protecting personal information is paramount, acknowledging that this focus might slow adoption. He also noted BC’s limited power allocation for data centers prioritizes decarbonization and data sovereignty, preferring a Team Canada approach for national privacy and security standards.