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May 7, 2026 (Thursday) | 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
SFU Segal Building, 500 Granville St, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1W6
The summit will bring together over 200 leaders from academia, industry, and government to explore how stronger partnerships can translate research breakthroughs into real-world applications across sectors
Hosted by
About the Summit
About the Summit
Founders Hall Lobby, Segal Building, SFU
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global economy, and British Columbia is uniquely positioned to contribute to the next phase of innovation and impact in Canada. The province is a world-class leader in both its AI research and its innovation economy, with leading universities and a vibrant, diverse set of industries that include technology, health, natural resources, finance, and the creative sector.
The summit will showcase the breadth of AI expertise in British Columbia and explore how stronger partnerships can translate research breakthroughs into real-world applications across sectors.
Strengthening collaboration across academia, industry, and government will be critical not only for BC’s future, but also for realizing the full economic and societal benefits of Canada’s global leadership in artificial intelligence.
Schedule
Schedule
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Registration + Light Refreshments
9:00 AM - 9:20 AM
Opening Remarks
Joanna McGrenere (UBC, Co-Head & Professor, Department of Computer Science)
Oliver Schulte (SFU, Director & Professor, School of Computing Science)
Minister Glumac (BC Gov, Minister of State for AI and New Technologies) - video welcome
Benoit-Antoine Bacon (UBC, President)
Dugan O'Neil (SFU Professor & VP, Research & Innovation)
9:20 AM - 10:05 AM
Vision Panel #1
From Research to Adoption: Opportunities for the Way Forward in BC
Rob Goehring (AInBC, Executive Director)
Kevin Leyton-Brown (UBC, Professor, CIFAR AI Chair)
Dugan O'Neil (SFU, Professor & VP Research & Innovation)
Kevin Stanley (UVic, Professor & Chair Computer Science)
Chaired by Margo Seltzer (UBC, Co-Head & Professor, Department of Computer Science)
10:05 AM - 11:05 AM
Poster Session #1 + Coffee Break
Industry, university research labs, student research
List of posters and presenters
11:05 AM - 11:50 AM
Pre-Lunch Plenary
Industry: AI adoption viewpoints Talk details
Diane Gutiw (CGI, Vice President)
Fateme Mirshahi (Electronic Arts, Technical Director)
Mo Chen (Ma Robot AI, Co-Founder & CTO, SFU Associate Professor, CIFAR AI Chair)
Chaired by Leonid Sigal (UBC, Professor, CIFAR AI Chair)
11:50 AM - 12:00 PM
Spotlights from Gold & Partner Sponsors
Greg Mori (VP, RBC Fellow)
Sylvain Moreno (Circle Innovation, CTO)
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch + Networking
1:00 PM - 1:10 PM
Spotlights from Gold & Partner Sponsors
Bethany Edmunds (Northeastern University, Associate Dean of Computing Programs, West Coast)
Rob Goehring (AInBC, Executive Director)
1:10 PM - 1:55 PM
Post-Lunch Plenary
Industry - Academia success stories Talk details
Dave McCaffrey (Miraterra, Director, Strategic Funding)
Jonathan Simkin (PHSA BC Cancer Registry, Director)
Mehar Singh (ProCogia, Founder & CEO)
Chaired by Martin Ester (SFU, Distinguished Professor)
1:55 PM - 2:40 PM
Vision Panel #2
The way forward: Funders' perspectives
Alejandro Adem (NSERC, President)
Gokhan Basaran (ISED, Strategic Advisor)
Melissa Judd (Vector Institute, VP Research Operations & Academic Partnerships)
Annika Rosanowski (Mitacs, Business Development Advisor)
Chaired by Raymond Ng (UBC, Professor, Co-Lead, AI and Health Network)
2:40 PM - 3:40 PM
Poster Session #2 + Coffee Break
Industry, university research labs, student research
List of posters and presenters
3:40 PM - 4:25 PM
Late Afternoon Plenary
Research Talks: View to the future in my AI subfield Talk details
Vered Swartz (UBC, Assistant Professor, CIFAR AI Chair)
Richard Zhang (SFU, Distinguished Professor)
Mark Schmidt (UBC, Professor, CIFAR AI Chair)
Chaired by Angel Chang (SFU, Associate Professor, CIFAR AI Chair)
4:25 PM - 5:10 PM
Vision Panel #3
The way forward: Reflections on the day
George Hriscu (ISED, Regional Director, Pacific Region)
Greg Mori (VP, RBC Fellow)
Ildar Akhmetov (Northeastern University, Associate Teaching Professor & Director of Computing Science Programs)
Loki Jorgenson (Circle Innovation, CTO)
Parmit Chilana (SFU, Associate Professor, Associate Director, Research and Industry Relations)
Chaired by Kevin Leyton-Brown (UBC, Professor, CIFAR AI Chair)
5:10 PM - 7:00 PM
Cocktail Reception
Registration
Registration
Join leaders from academia, industry, and government for a day of strategic conversation, discovery, and collaboration shaping the adoption of AI innovation in British Columbia—and across Canada.
Details
When: May 7, 2026 (Thursday) | 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Where: SFU Segal Building, 500 Granville St, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1W6
Sponsors
Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsor
Ecosystem Partner
Partner
Program Highlights
Program Highlights
Plenary perspectives from leaders across sectors
Government, academic, and industry leaders will share insights on the future of AI innovation and collaboration in British Columbia.
Industry innovation fair
Companies will showcase how AI is being applied across industries, highlighting success stories of industry academia collaboration for new partnerships.
Research showcase: AI expertise in BC
A poster session will give a coherent overview of research across a wide range of different labs spanning UBC and SFU highlighting the breadth of AI research underway and creating opportunities for collaboration.
A cross-vector vision panel
A closing conversation beinging together leaders from government, academia, and indutry to discuss the path forward for BC's AI ecosystem and the adoption of AI innovation across sectors.
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Who Should Attend
Who Should Attend
The BC AI Research-to-Adoption Summit will convene leaders from across the BC AI ecosystem who are interested in advancing collaboration and accelerating the real-world adoption of AI innovation.
Participants will include:
Academic researchers and institutional leaders
Faculty, research leaders, and university partners advancing cutting-edge AI research and training the next generation of AI talent.
Government and policy leaders
Decision-makers shaping policy, investment, and strategy to support AI innovation, adoption, and economic growth.
Industry leaders and innovators
Executives, founders, and technology leaders exploring how AI can transform products, services, and operations across sectors.
Investors and ecosystem builders
Organizations supporting the growth of AI-driven companies, partnerships, and innovation networks.
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