Our Story
First established in 2002, SFU’s Surrey Campus has grown to become an integral part of Surrey’s city centre. Learn more about the rich history of our campus.
2024
SFU Surrey celebrated the grand opening of the Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) at SFU's Surrey Campus, marking a milestone in our commitment to supporting Indigenous students. This expanded space will offer unique, holistic programs and services that empower students, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to thrive. We raise our hands to all those involved and look forward to the ongoing growth and success of the ISC community.
2024
SFU Surrey unveiled new works of public art to acknowledge, honour and respect the unceded traditional territories of the south of the Fraser River First Nations where SFU’s Surrey campus is located. Designed in consultation with Indigenous and local community partners, the pieces produced by Indigenous artists, Phyllis Atkins, and her son, Noah (Kwantlen First Nation), Rain Pierre (Katzie First Nation), and Leslie Wells, assisted by Easton Arnouse (Semiahmoo First Nation) bring Coast Salish traditions, culture and identity into the heart of the campus’s teaching and community spaces.
2024
SFU Surrey further expands its space with the launch of the newly renovated SFU Innovation Plaza. The space will facilitate collaborations between academia, government and industry, accelerate innovation and benefit students preparing for sought-after careers in these burgeoning fields. The Quantum Algorithms Institute, the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation, and the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship currently reside in this space.
2022
The provincial government announced $4.9 million in start-up funding for a new medical school on SFU's Surrey Campus, the first new medical school to be built in western Canada in more than 50 years. In 2024, the province announced $33.7M in capital funding for the School's interim campus in Surrey's city centre, $27M in operational funding as well as the appointment of Dr. David J. Price as the founding dean.
2022
SFU Surrey, the heart of innovation in the community, celebrated an incredible milestone - its 20th Anniversary, marking two decades of groundbreaking progress.
2019
SFU received $17 million to establish a Quantum Algorithms Institute to be based at the Surrey campus. The institute will be one of the first facilities of its kind that focuses on building quantum computing software and algorithms.
2019
SFU unveils a new building, housing the new Sustainable Energy Engineering program. This $126 million, 221,000 square foot, 5-floor building includes teaching and research labs, and state-of-the art theatres and activity space that will be shared with the community.
2018
On September 18, 2018, the SFU ImageTech Lab, a world-class clinical research facility, opens its doors. The ImageTech Lab is the first-of-its-kind in Western Canada. It provides the critical combination of high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) together with high-density magnetoencephalography (MEG)—uniquely embedded within Surrey Memorial Hospital.
2013
In December 2013, the eBrain Lab at Surrey Memorial Hospital opens. The NeuroTech Lab is a venue for SFU researchers to collaborate with technology experts and hospital clinicians to advance research in the areas of brain injury, concussion measurement, surgical simulation, rehabilitative devices and spinal cord injury prevention.
2011
SFU Surrey begins its campus expansion with Podium 2. The $10 million, 54,000 square foot renovated space at the base of Central City tower houses science labs, research and teaching spaces. Podium 2 has LEED Silver designation.
2008
New programs are launched at the Surrey Campus, including Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Criminology, World Literature, Life Sciences and Professional Development Programs for teachers. As well, SFU launched its flagship startup incubator program, Venture Connection (now the Incubator program within the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship), the longest running entrepreneurship initiative at SFU.
2008
SFU moved from its temporary campus space to its permanent space in Surrey's Central City complex, designed by architect Bing Thom. The space occupied 200,373 square feet in its initial mezzanine, galleria, podium, and tower levels, uniquely integrated the campus with the mall complex. In 2008, our facility expands with the addition of two more floors on the Galleria, bringing the campus size to 322,671 square feet in Surrey's Central City complex.
2002
SFU establishes temporary campus in Surrey's Central City Mall, in space formerly occupied by TechBC, with more than 230 new first-year students joining 282 existing former Tech BC undergrads and 53 grad students, studying for degrees in information technology and interactive arts. The space, which once was Zellers Department Store, comprised of open access classrooms, study and research spaces.