As British Columbia’s fastest-growing city—and projected to become B.C.’s largest city by 2030—Surrey is emerging as one of Canada’s most compelling investment destinations. With a skilled workforce, industrial land, logistics infrastructure and access to major trade routes, Surrey offers the conditions businesses need to grow, compete and innovate.
At the centre of this ecosystem is Innovation Boulevard, a joint initiative between the City of Surrey and Simon Fraser University that connects businesses with applied research, technical expertise and partnership opportunities. The initiative helps companies adopt new technologies, improve productivity and accelerate their growth.
Innovation Boulevard links businesses to research and testing capacity at multiple stages of innovation, including SFU’s Smart Manufacturing Hub for automation and IoT technologies, SFU’s WearTech Labs for rapid prototyping, Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Applied Genomics Centre for agritech and life science solutions and Surrey’s Urban Tech Testing Lab for concept validation.
Problem solving for businesses
For companies like Surrey-based Merit Kitchens, these connections help reduce risk and solve real-world business challenges. “Through Innovation Boulevard, we’ve been able to connect with a strong network of ecosystem partners who help us solve real-world challenges and enhance our processes,” says Paul Siekmann, vice-president of operations at Merit Kitchens. “These collaborations bring new expertise and perspectives that allow us to innovate more effectively while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.”
For businesses and investors, Surrey offers more than room to grow. It offers access to talent, technology, expertise and strategic partnerships that strengthen competitiveness and support a stronger Canadian economy.
To learn more, visit investsurrey.ca.
