DIGITAL to leverage $9M from Government of B.C. to find innovative ways of using digital technologies to grow housing production capacity in B.C.
VANCOUVER, BC, NOVEMBER 20, 2023 – DIGITAL, Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies, headquartered in Vancouver, has launched a call for proposals under their new Housing Growth Innovation Program to grow housing production capacity in British Columbia.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) report “Housing shortages in Canada: Updating how much housing we need by 2030” forecasts that B.C. will need to add hundreds of thousands of new housing units by 2030. Under the Housing Growth Innovation Program, DIGITAL will work with collaborative project teams from industry, government and academia to develop new ideas, find what works and action solutions that grow the construction sector and build more homes for British Columbians.
Project proposals are encouraged to contemplate opportunities across the full life cycle of housing construction including due diligence, design, construction and post-construction stages and those related to medium to large-scale residential construction, including prefab and mass timber. There is also room to address friction points that inhibit growth through an open category aimed at systemic supply chain or market challenges as we grow housing production capacity.
This call will develop a portfolio of innovative digital solutions that can be shared and deployed across the province to unlock the growth and economic potential of housing construction in B.C., and ultimately help grow housing stock.
“DIGITAL is proud to announce the launch of our Housing Growth Innovation Program, an effort that will leverage our proven approach to developing digital solutions to address the housing challenge in British Columbia,” said Sue Paish, CEO of DIGITAL. “We look forward to working alongside private industry, government and housing community partners to develop new ideas, find what works and action solutions for the benefit of all British Columbians.”
At DIGITAL, we treat innovation as a team sport. We assemble collaborative project teams to develop and drive forward innovative solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges. Our partnerships include but are not limited to builders, educators, professional service providers, not-for-profits, technology developers and government bodies. This approach allows teams to draw upon a larger range of skills, expertise and experience, thereby improving the quality of the innovations produced and ensuring they are ready for commercialization and real-world applications.
DIGITAL’s Housing Growth Innovation Program is leveraging a $9M investment over 3 years from the Government of British Columbia, which was announced in April 2023, as part of the Digital Housing Construction Initiative in their Homes for People Action Plan.
“This is another step forward in our government’s commitment to use existing technology and leading innovation to bring a more efficient permitting process to B.C. so we can build more homes, faster,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “We are excited to see DIGITAL work with partners to advance digital innovation and increase productivity in British Columbia’s housing construction sector.”
Interested parties are encouraged to visit the Housing Growth Innovation Program call for proposals page for more details and to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).
For media inquiries, please contact:
Sydney Redpath
Director of Communications, DIGITAL
About DIGITAL
DIGITAL is an independent, not-for-profit innovation enterprise specializing in data driven digital innovation. We are one of five Global Innovation Clusters across Canada focused on helping grow Canadian businesses through the design, development and deployment of made-in-Canada digital technologies. This includes working with industry to develop the digital workforce needed to grow businesses and produce well-paying career opportunities for Canadians. DIGITAL brings together businesses, academia, community and government agencies to solve some of industry and society’s biggest challenges – better and faster than any single organization can do on its own. Through a powerful model that combines cross-sector collaboration, Canadian IP creation and results-based co-investment, DIGITAL unlocks the potential of Canadian industry to lead and succeed in the digital world.
Ahead of the curve starts here. For more information, visit www.digitalsupercluster.ca