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.
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," says 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," says 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."
"Commercialization of new technology is a key priority for geomatics research and this new pan-Alberta centre of excellence," says 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.
