As a core component of the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy 2.0, the framework sets out how the province is strengthening intellectual property (IP) capability, keeping ownership and control of Alberta’s inventions, and turning publicly supported research into real businesses.
The Alberta Intellectual Property Framework will strengthen coordination among government programs, post-secondary institutions, technology transfer offices, Alberta Innovates, the Alberta Enterprise Corporation, regional innovation organizations and industry.
“Alberta’s researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses are developing ideas with enormous economic potential. This framework will help them protect those ideas, bring them to market and grow successful companies here in Alberta. When Alberta innovators succeed, the jobs, investment and economic benefits should stay here and benefit Albertans.”
“Alberta's post-secondary institutions are producing the researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators who will drive our economy for decades to come. This framework ensures their ideas and discoveries are protected and commercialized where they were funded and developed. It will help keep talent, investment and opportunity in Alberta where they belong."
A central part of the framework is the creation of the Alberta IP Office, announced in April 2026. The office will serve as a hub for IP expertise, helping researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and businesses better understand, protect, manage and commercialize their intellectual property. It will provide coordinated advice and access to specialists, education, market intelligence and freedom-to-operate support for companies entering Canadian and international markets.
"Alberta Innovates' mandate is to turn Alberta's research strengths into commercialization outcomes, and the work towards an Alberta IP Office lets us close a long-standing gap in that work. Housing the IP work here means we can embed IP strategy earlier in the innovation lifecycle, strengthen technology transfer, and give researchers and entrepreneurs a clearer path from idea to company. It's a direct extension of our strategic and business plans, and a concrete way to advance the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy 2.0's commitment to accelerated commercialization and a stronger innovation ecosystem."
“The Council of Canadian Innovators and Alberta’s innovators are pleased to see the Alberta government advancing policies like the newly released Alberta Intellectual Property Framework that support local companies in retaining, controlling, and commercializing valuable intangible assets, including patents, trade secrets, and data. Strong IP policy is essential to protecting the strategic ideas and information that build prosperity in the 21st century economy. Alberta is taking an important step by ensuring provincial tax dollars help protect homegrown ideas and turn them into economic value here at home.”
Ideas, research and inventions are among the most valuable things Alberta produces, and the new framework will help ensure their commercial value is no longer realized elsewhere. By strengthening how we manage and support intellectual property, including legally protectable ideas and associated know-how, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs and trade secrets, Alberta is creating jobs, revenue and securing long-term growth within the province.
Quick facts
- More than 40 per cent of Canadian inventions are owned by foreign firms, with limited commercialization happening in Canada.
- 1.1 per cent of Canadian businesses file patents, compared with an average of 5.9 per cent across other advanced economies.
- In the United States, industries that rely heavily on intellectual property account for about 41 per cent of the economy and 44 per cent of jobs.
- The global value of corporate intangible assets, such as intellectual property, reached about US$80 trillion in 2024.