New ingenuity centre taps into tech sector for resource industry solutions
Tecterra takes Alberta’s information technology sector to new levels
The first of its kind in the world, Alberta’s newest Ingenuity Centre is working with entrepreneurs and researchers to use real-time geographical information to address global challenges in resource management.
Naser El-Sheimy, professor and Canada Research Chair in the Schulich School of Engineering and the inaugural scientific director of Tecterra, holds a grizzly bear collar, Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, holds an instrument to track bears in the wild, and Andrew Hunter, a researcher in the geomatics department who developed the bear tracking system.
/ Photos: Ken Bendiktsen
The new centre, Tecterra, is one of five Alberta Ingenuity Centres for Research and Commercialization that focuses technology and research to build more sustainable industry practices. Built on a partnership between the provincial and federal governments, the University of Calgary, the University of Lethbridge and the University of Alberta, Tecterra will tap into the research excellence across the province. It will act as a hub that will allow resource companies to work with innovative technology companies and the research community to develop world-class solutions to industry challenges. With added investments from the Alberta government, including the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, this research centre plays a major role in the product commercialization commitment made last year through Alberta’s Action Plan – Bringing Technology to Market.
“Alberta is taking our large body of resource-based knowledge, along with our environmental sensibility, and combining it with world-class information technology infrastructure,” said Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. “With this unique recipe, businesses and governments from around the world are coming to see Alberta as the place where solutions can be found for resource management challenges. We’re a leader in applying this expertise in areas such as cumulative effects, land-use management, recreational use, fire management, transportation and countless other areas.”
Tecterra brings wide-ranging expertise together to bolster what is widely considered one of the top three geomatics groups in the world. An important aspect of the new centre is its commercialization capability. It is designed to accommodate the flow of ideas and technology from both Alberta companies and industry-relevant research into the marketplace.
“This centre joins the four other Ingenuity Centres that have been hard at work for the past six years, creating strong collaborations between Alberta’s world-class researchers, and with major industry partners, to solve industry challenges that not only benefit Alberta but the rest of the world,” said Dr. Peter Hackett, President and CEO of Alberta Ingenuity. “The centre’s program is a vital tool for maintaining the prosperity of Alberta’s research innovation system and ensuring we remain competitive on the global stage.”
The Hon. Doug Horner drives a simulator of a tractor guided by a GPS system developed by Hemisphere GPS, a high tech company based in Calgary.
“Commercialization of new technology is a key priority for geomatics research and this new pan-Alberta centre of excellence,” said Harvey Weingarten, president of the University of Calgary. “With the support of industry and government, this centre will be the catalyst to develop and commercialize new products and technologies that will drive the economy forward and make a difference to the lives of Albertans and Canadians.”Tecterra represents a model of how partners working together can strengthen Alberta’s growing high tech sector. The more than $50 million investment includes: $21.6 million from the Alberta government ($11.6 million from Alberta Advanced Education and Technology and $10 million from Alberta Ingenuity), $11.6 million from the federal government’s Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research program, as well as a further $20 million anticipated from industry and other end users.
Backgrounder
One of five Alberta Ingenuity Centres for Research and Commercialization, Tecterra is building on Alberta’s tool kit for success in new knowledge-based economic areas that also contribute to more sustainable industry practices.Tecterra’s administrative offices will be located in Calgary’s Research Park with research laboratories at the University of Calgary, University of Alberta and University of Lethbridge. The centre will support applied research and commercialization of technology focused on geomatics-based solutions to challenges facing Alberta’s resource industries.
There will be three primary pathways for engagement of both the research/academic community and for industry.
Guided Strategic Research Projects (GSSRP) – These projects of up to four years, form the foundation of centre research in alignment with the centre’s Industry Roadmap. Researchers from across Alberta and abroad will respond to requests for proposals to identify technological solutions in target application areas with a long-term objective of commercialization.
Idea to Implementation Projects (IIP) – These two-year product development projects are open to researchers, industry and solution providers from across Alberta and internationally, focused on moving a technology into a commercialization-ready stage. Ideas for IIPs will be put forth by the research community, and after approval, will be made available for review by industry partners who will then potentially become involved through funding if the project aligns with their specific interests.
Industry-Sponsored Projects (ISP) – These projects are designed to provide an opportunity for industry and government stakeholders to propose and sponsor projects that are of direct interest to them. There will be an open call for projects from stakeholders after which a researcher or research team will take on the project in collaboration with the sponsoring stakeholder.