Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the Alberta economy. They make up about 96 per cent of businesses and employ hundreds of thousands of Albertans, making them an important part of reducing emissions while creating jobs across the province.
Funded by Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction system, Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Emerging Innovators Challenge will help fund scale-up, pilot and first-of-kind emissions-reduction projects. The $40 million will help support new ideas and innovations that have not been commercialized before in everything from energy efficiency and heating to digital solutions and reducing methane emissions – and a whole lot more. These projects will help businesses reduce costs, increase efficiency and stay competitive.
"Small businesses have a big impact in Alberta. We’re helping our amazing makers, entrepreneurs and creators to lower emissions and create cutting-edge ideas for the future. I look forward to seeing the creative technologies that result from this exciting new funding competition.”
This investment is part of Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan, and the government’s work to reduce emissions while supporting a strong economy.
The Emerging Innovators Challenge is open to small enterprises (organizations with fewer than 50 employees), medium enterprises (organizations with fewer than 500 employees) and Indigenous communities and organizations of any size. Up to $5 million is available per project, with a minimum request of $250,000. Applications under the Emerging Innovators Challenge can originate from anywhere around the world but must be piloted, demonstrated or deployed in Alberta. The application deadline is Dec. 14.
“With more than half of the funded projects in Emissions Reduction Alberta’s portfolio led by small and medium enterprises, we are deeply committed to supporting the success of these organizations and the leading-edge work they do. This new funding opportunity will help Alberta businesses access the critical capital and support services they need to get their technologies to market.”
The Emerging Innovators Challenge will increase businesses’ chances of getting their innovative technologies to market faster than they might without government support and contributes to Alberta’s goal for carbon neutrality by 2050.
"Alberta is uniquely positioned to lead the world in emissions-reduction technologies with our unique combination of innovators, researchers and industrial adopters. This investment puts wind in the sails of many of our province's brightest future technologies and showcases, once again, Emissions Reduction Alberta's unparalleled leadership in the province's innovation ecosystem."
“Strategic funding is a critical barrier preventing Canadian cleantech innovations from being deployed at scale. Emissions Reduction Alberta’s collaborative and unique framework enables them to distribute market-driven capital quickly, where it can have the maximum impact. Government of Alberta funding through Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Emerging Innovators Challenge will enable Alberta-based innovators to deploy the solutions that are driving Canada toward net zero. We are so excited to see which small and medium enterprises are successful in this challenge, so they can show their true potential."
“The funding, mentorship and guidance we have received from the Government of Alberta and Emissions Reduction Alberta have been vitally important to us as we take our Alberta-developed technology across the province and to international markets. The capital and support have allowed us to get the attention of the largest food producers in the world as we make food production more sustainable by economically transforming waste into products for the circular economy, including natural fertilizers, high-value biogas feedstock and clean, reusable water.”
Quick facts
- Through the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction system, the Government of Alberta invests revenues from the industrial carbon price to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative clean technology solutions.
- Funded by the Government of Alberta, Emissions Reduction Alberta has committed $887 million toward 254 projects worth $7.7 billion that are helping reduce emissions, keep industry competitive and lead to new business opportunities in Alberta.
- Emissions Reduction Alberta’s projects to date are estimated to deliver 40 million tonnes of emissions reductions by 2030 and 110 million tonnes of emissions reductions by 2050.