May 11, 2017, FREDERICTON (GNB) – An Economic Opportunities Summit on information technology was held in Fredericton on Wednesday.
“Information technology is an important sector for the New Brunswick economy, providing interesting job opportunities,” said Premier Brian Gallant. “As your government, we will continue to invest in education, training, and innovation to help the information technology sector and the New Brunswick economy.”
Promoting growth and innovation in this sector is a component of the New Brunswick Economic Growth Plan. Related initiatives include boosting research and development by partnering with industry and academia; establishing an open data policy; and working to make New Brunswick a world leader in cybersecurity.
Participants at the summit included representatives from East Valley Ventures, Green Imaging Technologies and F6 Networks.
“This summit is a great opportunity to get back together and review action items we recommended last year,” said Ed McGinley, CEO of TechImpact. “It is promising to see that our government is acting on the recommendations given from the previous summit, and is once again asking stakeholders for their input on how we can work together to keep efforts energized.”
Discussions focused on actions implemented over the past year, including the launch of the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity in January. Participants also discussed opportunities for further collaboration among partners and stakeholders to promote growth and innovation in the sector.
The event was a followup to a series of Economic Opportunities Summits held throughout the province over the past two years to identify new prospects for job creation and economic growth.
This event supports the activities of Innovation Week, May 4-12. This week is dedicated to celebrating innovation in New Brunswick and providing companies the opportunity to meet with government officials and pitch their ideas. The government is investing more than $160 million over the next four years to foster innovation and boost research and development in the province.
Details of events and activities being held during Innovation Week are available online.
MEDIA CONTACT(S):
Jean-François Pelletier, corporate communications, Executive Council Office, 506-444-4718.
Mary-Anne Hurley-Corbyn, communications, Opportunities NB, 506-453-5471.