December 2021 Innovation Funding Bulletin!
Hello Everyone!
The growth plan of today is the deployment of a company’s vision with the intent to take concrete steps to secure customer work every week, every quarter, every year whether a company chooses to grow, stay small, and/or go global. The growth plan of today requires a Team that can and will deploy initiatives by working together and energizing each other along with leadership that can manage business risk, and, at times, extreme risk.
When it comes to building a Team, as discussed in the October, 2021 Funding Bulletin, Alberta’s Recovery Plan continues to offer a tremendous boost to Alberta businesses. This is especially true when it comes to supporting mega projects and also smaller projects. There's also tremendous support for all Alberta companies via the 60+ employment & training funding programs. Training grants assist your company retain strong, talented and skilled developers, marketers and managers. Whereas, ‘new hire’ grant funding brings in workers with fresh perspectives and much needed management/technical skills. Payroll costs are reduced while businesses are able to to provide an attractive salary to employ strong and talented managers and employees. Want to learn more? Give me a call or purchase the Overview of the 60+ Employment & Training Funding Programs to learn about the employment / training programs that will leverage your company's growth.
Good news was just announced yesterday that will support economic growth and getting Albertans back to work. Alberta’s 20 Year Strategic Capital Plan will be investing $21B in infrastructure over the next 3 years.
Another exciting program is the Alberta Investment and Growth Strategy - to increase Alberta’s Competitive Advantage, Improve Alberta’s Investment Attraction EcoSystem, and, Raise Alberta’s Reputation as an Investment Destination - doesn’t get more exciting than this! https://www.alberta.ca/investment-and-growth-strategy.aspx
“The Purpose of Money is to Make Us Feel Secure.”
This quote comes directly from Suzy Orman. Therefore, the purpose of grant funding is to provide leverage that helps to reduce financial risk while encouraging technology development/commercialization - along with gaining access to funders who can provide technical advice and expertise, make introductions to other key funders and/or customers, and, encourage your participation in accelerators - all to reduce risk. And then there are advisors like me that examine and discuss risk to ensure that your company has a credible plan to minimize risk so that funders are confident in funding your R&D / Commercialization projects. All of us are working together to realistically encourage and support innovators. It's interesting, Suzy Orman might be right as grant funding provides that bit of leverage to make businesses feel more secure and therefore more willing to take risk.
This Pandemic
We have been through so much - it’s stressful. Stress kills - hurts our body, mind and spirit. Stress can bring up inequities and how how we feel about ourselves. There's 7.6 billion of us with fears and upsets - and it’s much worse for the majority of the world’s population dealing with hunger, poverty, war and not being safe in their homes or communities.
As we recover, the world that we know will not be the same - there will be a change - perhaps we will get better at looking out for each other simply because we have gone through this horrendous experience. And perhaps we will turn up the dial a little bit more by looking out for those of us who are disadvantaged by giving donations and time and words of hope so that each person and each family has a better, safer life moving forward.
In Alberta there is now an Associate Minister of Mental Health and Additions - a considerable amount funding has been announced.
Our Language is Changing
Just recently I read about 'industrial automation' - it’s the industrial revolution of the 21st century. Then there’s the term ‘atmospheric river’ where the atmosphere can hold an entire river of water - rivers can be miles, hundreds of miles, and, thousands of miles long!
I wager that hundreds of new words with new meanings have been conceptualized over the last year to try and understand what we have gone through, and, also to anticipate the change that will be coming.
Moving Forward
It seems like it just happened in this last year where women’s contributions are becoming as highly appreciated and respected as men’s contributions. Has there been a time when women’s work and roles have been so impactful? Yes - always impactful! Publicly, most likely during the wars and during times of change in centuries past. This acknowledgement and acceptance is here to stay and to grow - and is good for all of our lives.
Going Green
Enmax continues to report that my home’s energy usage is substantially below comparable properties. If there was a safe way other than using a fireplace to heat one room vs a furnace heating every room in my home, electricity usage would drop substantially - it’s a shame to heat the whole house when only one room at a time is needed.
Thanking you for your support in 2021 - wish I could have been with you in person - it’s coming, we just don’t know when we will be safe to be together - together will be a wonderful thing to celebrate.
Have a safe, restful, fun and rejuvenating holiday with friends and family - 2022 is going to be a big year!
Best Regards, Eileen Ashmore, MBA - Technology Funding Specialist
403 252 0799 eileenashmore@strategictimelines.com