Province, feds kick in $9.6M to transform former Rona building into new tech hub
Florian Villaumé has been waiting a long time to throw open the doors of a shuttered hardware store and welcome the world inside.
Where others see the remnants of the former Rona on Stavanger Drive in St. John's, Villaumé sees potential to grow Newfoundland and Labrador's tech sector.
"The innovation centre is a place where companies can collaborate on projects," he told reporters on Monday. "A place that allows them to develop new technologies together, avail of training and also showcase the technologies they have to attract new customers and develop their businesses."
Villaumé used to be the head of the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship at Memorial University. There, he was one of the guiding forces behind the fledgling tech sector. In April, he took a role with TechNL, the industry group rallying to grow the local sector to compete on the world stage.
They scored a win on Monday, with an investment of $9.7 million from the provincial and federal governments to open an innovation centre.
Politicians voice support, vision for centre
Premier Andrew Furey spoke at the event, calling it an essential step to "transform" the province's technology sector. "I am so excited to see this come to fruition, and can't wait for what lays ahead," Furey said.
Andrew Parsons, the minister responsible for industry, energy and technology, said it was a "key priority" for his office.
The province is kicking in $7.1 million over six years, while the federal portion of $2.5 million is coming from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
Villaumé said the centre will be a combination of shared office space and warehouse space, with event space for programming. The goal is to address the current needs of established companies, while helping newcomers get started with a focus on remote operations in sectors like oceans, energy and defence.
According to a news release from the province, there are 8,000 people working with 600 companies in Newfoundland and Labrador's tech sector.
Villaumé said design work for the space will start next month, with a goal to open next October.
