[1]Edmonton is home to the Greater Edmonton Regional Technology Alliance, Canada’s first and only grouping of incubators that nourishes the growth of emerging knowledge-based companies and coordinates the region’s business incubators.
Chair of the alliance since 2010, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation’s [1] (EEDC) role is one of facilitator, enabler, networker and cheerleader of the region’s technology advancement. Other alliance members include TEC Edmonton [2], novaNAIT [3], Northern Alberta Business Incubator, Business Link and National Institute of Nanotechnology [4]. In 2011, three additional members joined the alliance: TR Labs, the National Research Council’s Industrial Research and Assistance Program, and Startup Edmonton.
“The Regional Alliance was developed to further establish Edmonton’s well-funded infrastructure for technology development and commercialization. In short, the alliance will help start-ups bring their product to market in a nurturing and safe environment,” says Candace Brinsmead, alliance chair, and vice-president of innovation and technology advancement at EEDC.
The industry early adopter program was an immediate outcome of the alliance, which matches start-ups with large, local and established businesses ?öÇ something like a mentor-protégé relationship. Industry early adopter members commit to assessing, mentoring, testing or adopting home-grown technologies.
As a member of the alliance, EEDC’s Edmonton Research Park [5] houses dozens of research-oriented companies in high-opportunity sectors and is designed to maximize synergy and collaboration among these knowledge-based firms. The park has a role in the execution of the provincial technology commercialization strategy and is a stakeholder in TEC Edmonton, a joint venture with the University of Alberta, and a key player in supporting technology start-ups.
New alliances have been created, emulating the Regional Alliance model. Efforts are underway to establish a nanotechnology alliance in Edmonton.