Media Release

---

For immediate release
April 28, 2006

Open house celebrates opportunities for research co-operation
and development between The Banff Centre and Hong Kong Cyberport

Saturday, April 29
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Max Bell Building, The Banff Centre

On Saturday, April 29, 2006, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) Accelerator Program is hosting an open house to highlight the partnership between The Banff Centre and Hong Kong Cyberport. The goal of the partnership is to develop mutually beneficial opportunities for Alberta and Hong Kong new media companies.
 
Earlier this year, Mary Hofstetter, president & CEO of The Banff Centre, traveled to Hong Kong and together with Nicholas Yang, CEO, Hong Kong Cyberport, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that set the stage for long-term collaboration. The MOU created a framework to explore opportunities in the areas of research and development, scientific and professional exchange, education and training, and in fostering technology and business partnerships among small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the digital media sector in Alberta and across the Pacific.

Similar to the Hong Kong event, which gave Cyberport the chance to introduce The Banff Centre to their local new media companies, the open house will provide an opportunity for The Banff Centre to introduce Cyberport to Alberta new media companies. The event will include welcoming remarks by Mary Hofstetter and Robert Lai, executive director, Alberta Innovation and Science; an introduction of new partnership opportunities for the Alberta new media community by Susan Kennard, director/executive producer BNMI; an overview of Cyberport by Nicholas Yang; and a signing of the partnership agreement between Hon Kong Cyberport and The Banff Centre. This will be followed by the keynote address on business development between North America and Pacific Rim countries by Hal Josephson, president, Mediasense Inc. and a networking lunch.

During the open house, the BNMI will also be announcing two new scholarship opportunities for Alberta new media companies. The BNMI Accelerator Program is funded by Alberta Innovation and Science, to support the emerging new media industry in Alberta. The Accelerator supports the new media community in a variety of ways including workshops, prototype development, summits, and market missions.

About Alberta Innovation and Science

A department in the Government of Alberta, Alberta Innovation and Science consolidates government research, science and technology activities, working closely with industry, research organizations, and other levels of government to develop a unified focus to research in energy, information, and communications technology, and the life sciences including agriculture, bioproducts, forestry, health and nutrition, platform technologies, sustainable resource management, and water research.

The department is committed to building a critical mass of research excellence to create an environment that attracts skilled people and investment to the province, and provides the foundation for business growth, job creation, a sustainable economy, and a better quality of life for Albertans.

In addition to building research capacity, and attracting and retaining top researchers and other highly qualified people, the department supports initiatives focused on technology commercialization. These initiatives focus on connecting entrepreneurs to business mentors and investment capital, to help them develop ideas and research into viable products. These research and development investments build on Alberta’s strengths and help the province to develop a more competitive, knowledge-driven economy.

About the Banff Centre

Creation. Innovation. Transformation. The Banff Centre is a catalyst for creativity and a globally respected post-secondary educational institution and conference facility. Banff Centre alumni create, produce, and perform works of art all over the world; lead our institutions, organizations, and businesses; and play significant roles in our cultural, social, intellectual, and economic well-being, and in the preservation of our environment. For almost 75 years, the Centre has developed potential and transformed careers. Our multi-disciplinary programs enable emerging and established individuals in the arts, sciences, business, and the environment to create and showcase new work, to push boundaries, to interact and share knowledge, and to develop new ideas and solutions for the present and the future.

About Hong Kong Cyberport

Hong Kong's IT Flagship is a US $2 billion (HK$15.8 billion) landmark project managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and wholly owned by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The project is being developed on a 24-hectare site at Telegraph Bay in the southern district of Hong Kong Island. It comprises four office buildings, a five-star hotel, a retail entertainment complex, and a deluxe residential development, aiming at creating an interactive environment that will be home to a strategic cluster of about 100 IT companies and 10,000 IT professionals.

Cyberport won the internationally acclaimed Intelligent Building of the Year Award 2004 in New York City on June 11, 2004, which is given to commercial buildings that have used broadband and information systems technology to add demonstrable value in the form of advanced services and merits to its tenants.

Opened in November 2005, the Cyberport IncuTrain Centre is funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Government of the HKSAR and managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited. The Centre aims at incubating Hong Kong companies in the digital entertainment and digital media industries, with initial focus on digital game and film animation. With a total area of 24,000 sq. ft., the centre is expected to support up to 45 incubatees over a three year period.

Inquiries about the open house can be directed to:
Amy Inkster, BNMI Accelerator Program, The Banff Centre
403.762.7500 • amy_inkster@banffcentre.ca