Eligible Applicants

To be considered eligible for the Industry R&D Associates Program applicants must:

• Be a small and medium-sized for-profit businesses in Alberta;
• Be considered a legal entity incorporated or registered in Alberta;
• Demonstrate the innovation’s viability and market value;
• Specialize in advanced technologies, products, and solutions;
• Explain how the program’s support is necessary for the project’s success;
• Possess the required operational capital and financial resources to develop and commercialize the technology or innovative solution; and
• Hire the research associate as a full-time employee for the duration of the project.

Eligible R&D Associates

Eligible Level 1 and 2 research associates must:

• Be prepared to be hired on as a full-time employee and possess the necessary qualifications to fulfil the role;
• Be legally entitled to work in Canada and is prepared to live in Alberta for the duration of the project;
• Not own or possess the right to purchase more than 15% of the issued and outstanding shares of the applicant;
• Not have been previously employed by the applicant (except in the case of a reapplication);
• May be classified as a current full-time employee (if they’ve only been employed by the applicant for less than 12 months); and
• May not have an outstanding balance with any Alberta Innovates organization, subsidiary, or partner.

Eligible Projects

The program supports Alberta-based projects focused on:

• Conducting pre-competitive research focusing on a targeted or applied research question leading to the Proof-of-Concept of an inventive idea;
• Developing a prototype to demonstrate a product for technology validation, market capture and new investment opportunities; and/or
• Validation and feasibility studies of innovative technologies leading to new or improved products and processes that meet current market demands.