Centre for Research & Innovation presentation to Alberta Innovates for the Regional Innovation Network meeting held in Grande Prairie, Alberta May 2014

1. Innovation Services

2.  Championing and delivering applied
research & innovation services since
2000
 AED’s lead innovation pilot project in
rural Alberta.
 Innovation services and growing
competitive businesses are two
fundamental strategies for
successful Rural Economic
Development, especially in Alberta’s
Peace Country.
Innovation
History

3. Industry Issues
1. Lack of time and manpower
2. Increasing costs of doing
business
3. Customers wanting more for less
Potential Solutions – Managing
Change
1. Being Innovative
2. Get a good return on your
Investment
3. Being part of networks
Key Themes
Issues
Solutions

4. 73 new clients of which 41 were
entrepreneurs and 32 were
companies
35 on-going clients of which 2
were entrepreneurs and 33 were
companies
 20 were one-time visits and 15 clients
received multiple visits
Assisted over 100
new and on-going
clients over the
last year, and
65% are
companies.

5. External Clients
Initial
Assessment
Stage 1
Proof of
Concept
IP
Stage 2
Feasibility
Prototyping
Stage 3
Development
Testing
Stage 4
Marketplace
Investment
Readiness
Intro into
Company
Growth
New
Clients
32 18 9 5 8 4 7 4
Ongoing
Clients
11 9 11 10 12 6 2 1

6. Clients – Industry
Sector
Forest Oil/Gas Agric Techno Construct Fab Transp
Util
Envir Consumer
New
Clients
0 11 8 3 7 5 6 5 28
Ongoing
Clients
1 8 2 6 1 3 8 1 5

7. Internal GPRC –
commercialization
 P2P
 NBDC
Regional Projects
 Horse Lake Business
Development
 Sensor & UVS Solutions
 Evergreen Centre – Low
Impact Solutions
Projects

8. CRI communicates into the region
with AITF interests, programs &
services
 Social Media audience reach of
over 900 clients & stakeholders
 Committee for Growing the
North – bringing forward
innovation, technology, trends
 Champion ‘innovation’ in
government forums (Alberta
Agriculture’s Rural Development
Plan)
Reaching into
the Region –
carrying an AITF
RIN message

9. Evergreen Centre for Resource
Excellence & Innovation
Research and demonstrations on
 Innovative Solutions on
 Access Roads
 Pipeline Strategies
 Water Crossing
 Reclamation
 Winter Planting of Trees in Wetlands
A Network Partner
in Demonstration
Projects – Testing

10. Piloting new
technologies &
equipment in
resource
development.

11. CRI Team