April 2021 Innovation Funding Bulletin
Hello Everyone - The Best of April!
INNOVATON FUNDING UPDATES & NEW FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS
There’s much going on - this funding bulletin attempts to inform you!
New $25M Competition Seeks Low-Carbon Solutions
Foresight is partnering with the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) and The Delphi Group to launch the Low Emission Fuels and Products Technology Competition.
"With funding of up to $25 million via the Strategic Innovation Fund, the competition is seeking innovative technological solutions for Canada’s oil and gas industry that improve environmental performance, support economic growth and competitiveness of Canadian companies, and create high-value jobs."
Plus
The deadline to apply to the Canadian Safety and Security Program’s (CSSP’s) has been extended to May 11, 2021. The program is looking for your ideas to mitigate the effects of future high-impact, low-frequency events such as pandemics, natural disasters, or other disruptive forces caused by natural events or human activity."
The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre is promoting its Alberta Municipal Solar Program via PV solar systems - providing 30% support for municipalities up to $1.5M per project - the application deadline is April 30/22.
Current Competitions
CRIN & Alberta Innovates: Carbon Fiber Grand Challenge II - Deadline April 27 Reducing Environmental Footprint Technology Competition via Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA).
Also check the information sessions on CRIN’s $80M Technology Competitions.
As per BioAlberta’s Newsletter
Canada's Technology and Aging Network's - AGE-WELL - is receiving $21.9 million over three years from the GoC to provide Canadians with technology-based solutions to improve quality of life for older adults and caregivers.
Natural Products Canada has established a new $50M investment fund to invest in early-stage Canadian companies developing naturally-derived alternatives to synthetic products. Check out: https://www.naturalproductscanada.com/en/natural-products-canada-launches-new-50m-investment-fund/
NSERC
NSERC has just announced a call for joint Canada-Germany projects on hydrogen aiming to fund 10 preliminary collaborative research projects on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Alberta Innovates
AI is issuing a request for proposal (RFP) for the development of business accelerator(s) “to vault Alberta’s promising start-ups and small and medium technology companies through scaleup and growth faster. “Alberta has a scaleup gap.” Background: While half of all start-ups survive over five years, only 0.1 per cent of small firms become mid- sized, and only two per cent of mid-sized firms become large. Alberta Innovates is seeking three or more technology/business accelerators to address the scale-up gap and help Alberta startups and Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to scale and grow and contribute to a thriving innovation ecosystem in Alberta.” See details here.
Calgary Economic Development RFPs
CED is looking for business incubators and accelerators with plans to create or scale companies that would expand and strengthen the tech-innovation ecosystem in Calgary - funding will come from OCIF. A second RFP is one for Fund Managers to operate funds with OCIF backing.
Emissions Reduction Fund Onshore Program
The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, announced the $750-million Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) Onshore Program last week!
The Federal Budget will be tabled on April 19th!
FUNDER PARTERSHIPS
Last year, Alberta Innovates and NSERC created a new funding opportunity via the Alliance program. As per the March Funding Bulletin, DND announced a strategic alliance with BDC. Now, NSERC and Mitacs are building on a new joint initiative that will support the R&D efforts of Canadian university researchers and their partners, while supporting highly qualified personnel including students and/or postdoctoral fellows via NSERC’s Alliance grants and the Mitacs Accelerate program. This is a welcome sign of the times where funders are working strategically together. ERA brought in their Partnership Intake Program last year. Add in a ‘TECTERRA like’ interest free repayable loan as part of the Alberta Innovates’ programs and watch the technology sector soar!
APIP
A $408M grant from the Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program (APIP) will go to Inter Pipeline’s approximately $4-billion propane-to-polypropylene plastic facility located in the Industrial Heartland - employing 16,000 Albertans directly and indirectly during construction, and 300 Albertans permanently. Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program
BDC’s & Techstars Startup Weekend Women in Tech Canada Online April 23rd - 25th
Techstars and BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Venture Fund are partnering on this initiative.
CALGARY SR&ED’s CALCULATOR
Don’t you just wish you could figure out your SR&ED funding in any given year in just a few minutes? Check out CalgarySR&ED’s online SRED Calculator - https://calgarysred.com/sred-tax-credit-calculator/
Nominations for the TECTERRA Awards for exceptional achievements in geospatial advances are open. Quoting TECTERRA “nominate someone doing amazing things today - even if that someone is you!”
Calgary Economic Development - Not to Miss!!
Report to the Community April 15th!
Propel’s ‘Fuel the Future’ - June 16 - 17, 2021
It’s not too late to register and the registration fee is very reasonable for this 2 day event. Register soon!
Inventures 2021 September 22 - 24 - Mark Your Calendars!
MEGA GREEN NEWS
The Steering Committee for Canada’s Hydrogen Strategy has been formed - “Hydrogen’s moment has come. The economic and environmental opportunities for our proud energy workers and communities are real. There is global momentum, and Canada is harnessing it. This is how we get to net zero.” Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources.
Canada and Germany have signed an agreement to team up on green energy innovation and trade - focusing on hydrogen. The memorandum of understanding outlines a plan to co-operate on energy policy and research as both countries strive to reach the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The April 5th edition of the Clean Energy Canada’s Clean Energy Review discusses President Biden’s US$2-trillion infrastructure plan that focuses on renewable power and the electric grid.
Toyota is building its’ first commercial-grade, permanent H2 production, storage and refueling facility in Victoria, Australia’s at its former manufacturing plant at Atona in Melbourne’s West.
The EV and fuel cell revolution is underway and the world will transition – exciting beyond imagination just like it might have been when the Model T went into production in 1908 - 113 years ago!!
The Infrastructure Bank of Canada announced building of the $1.7 Billion Lake Erie Connector project for new electricity transmission in the area and into the US.
And lastly, as per an April 4th post in Energy Now, about CO2 air capture – Global Thermostat, Climeworks AG, Carbon Engineering, and, Carbon 180 are a few companies doing this work.
Going Green!
The last time I gassed up, it was 3 or 4 months ago as all my travel is in the community. The bill for filling up the tank was around $76!
ECONOMIC LUMINARIES - MARK CARNEY & CHAIRMAN POWELL
Mark Carney: “We are living in a time that confuses market value with human values... the market is indifferent to human suffering and can be blind to our greater human needs...a world where technology replaces our jobs not improve them....
Jerome Powell 60 Minutes: “As I mentioned - very high unemployment among low paid workers. There are people who’ve lost their homes. There’s a lot of suffering out there still. And I think it’s important that, just as a country, we stay and help those people. They’re going to need help. The economy that we’re going back to is going to be different from the one that we had. And in some ways, those differences will make it challenging for those people to go back to work. And I think we owe them helping them get back to work.”
The Babcock Ranch in Florida (PBS April 14/21)
This ranch is the first solar town. And what is also interesting is the terminology used to describe the impact of the solar town on people. Terminology like "growing sustainable human beings", "humanizing us", and, "living like a citizen". Very similar to the thoughts of Mark Carney and Jerome Powell, and, perhaps the pathway forward as the world recovers.
Humorous & Sage Quotes
Now I understand the meaning of April Fool’s day - when France changed the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar this moved the New Year to January 1st from April 1st. April 1st would have naturally been a time to start a new year with planting and all. I can imagine how discombobulated people might have felt at the time.... now what day is this really - April 1st or is it January 1st or to get more complicated - it’s April 15th but my body clock and brain are divided - therefore for today it’s ok to act like a fool - everyone else is!
ABOUT GROWTH VIA CONSULTING SERVICES
Growth via consulting work is basically about providing structures and frameworks via research, and, business & marketing planning/strategy to assist a client business examine and build concrete steps to their next level of growth. Whereas, when it comes to assisting technology driven businesses secure innovation funding it's like Step 1 in the growth process with many more steps to come.
A wonderful April to you and be back to you sometime in May or June.
Best Regards & Be Safe
Eileen Ashmore, MBA, CMC Management Consultant - Technology Funding Specialist
403 252 0799 eileenashmore@strategictimelines.com
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