Rob Cruickshank. Activities BC Tech has been working with BC's Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development to create a technology action plan for British Columbia. In addition, BC Tech hosts a number of regular events, including CTO Roundtables, Technology Forums, Software-as-aService (SaaS) Bootcamps, and the annual Technology Impact Awards (TIAs), as well as working to develop and recruit talent through its TechTalent BC initiatives Technology Impact Awards The annual BC Technology Impact Awards were founded by BC Tech in 1994. There are three categories of TIA awards: Technology Awards, Company Awards, and Personal Recognition Awards. To participate in the TIAs, a technology company must have its head office based in British Columbia or have established a significant operating division complete with senior management in the province. TIAs winners benefit through media recognition and the opportunity to connect with potential investors, advisors, mentors, and partners. TIAs winners in recent years have included AbeBooks, Strangeloop Networks, Business Objects, and EQO Communications. TechTalentBC BC Tech takes an active role in developing local talent and recruiting skilled technology workers through a number of initiatives, including awarding scholarships to BC students who plan to make their careers in science and technology, and offering foreign recruitment workshops and other programs to help fill the 10,000 BC job openings in technology and related fields projected for 2008 alone. BC Tech also conducts various industry studies to generate a greater understanding of BC's technology industry. These studies enable industry organizations to offer more targeted industry development campaigns and strategic corporate growth programs. One such study, the 2007 TechTalentBC Labour Demand survey, was undertaken with the assistance of the Information and Communications Technology Council. This study sought information regarding difficulties companies have in attracting top talent and the strategies they use to increase their headcounts. Members High-profile members of BC Tech include companies such as Sierra Wireless, MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, PMC-Sierra, Bell Mobility, Electronic Arts (Canada) Inc., IBM Canada, Maximizer Software, the Microsoft Canada Development Centre, Nokia, Sony Canada, Sun Microsystems, Telus, and Ballard Power Systems. BC Tech members also include research and development organizations such as the National Research Council (Canada), government organizations such as the BC Innovation Council and Industry Canada, non-profit educational centres such as TELUS World of Science (formerly Science World), worldwide technology organizations such as the Society for Technical Communication, and professional services firms that serve the technology industry such as