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Innovate Edmonton Secures Federal Funding for New Flagship Programs ‘Innovation Gallery’ & ‘Capital City Pilots’

*Disclaimer: The following content was released using our former organization name Innovate Edmonton and/or program division Startup Edmonton, prior to the transition to our new brand and name, Edmonton Unlimited.

On April 29th, we participated in two federal funding announcements:

  • We will receive $490,625 to create an Innovation Gallery in downtown Edmonton to showcase, educate and provide awareness about innovation activities in Alberta. This is part of federal funding of more than $6.7 million through the Canada Community Revitalization Fund that will enable community-led initiatives across Edmonton to welcome residents and visitors back to public spaces and support local businesses.
  • We will also receive $779,310 for Capital City Pilots, a novel collaboration with the City of Edmonton to develop, promote and market a procurement model where small- and medium-sized businesses can test their innovative intellectual property while improving municipal property. This is part of federal funding of $17 million through PrairiesCan that will create hundreds of jobs and help Edmonton’s most innovative and leading-edge companies grow and enter new markets.

The Innovation Gallery
Located in the former downtown Edmonton RBC building, the Innovation Gallery will open adjacent to our new home, with rotating exhibits designed to entertain, educate and raise awareness of homegrown innovation. The gallery will bring together entrepreneurs, founders, funders, investors, partners and the Edmonton public to celebrate local solutions to global challenges and amplify our city’s innovators who position Edmonton as a global innovation capital.

Fueled by the energy of our city’s people and potential, Edmonton residents will be invited to engage with the Innovation Gallery’s interactive and educational displays in 2023. “The Innovation Gallery will add to our city’s downtown vibrancy and showcase innovators of all stripes, catapulting local entrepreneurs into the public realm,” said our CEO Catherine Warren. “Ultimately, it will contribute to a bold innovation identity and civic pride, which can lead to talent retention and international attention.”

To view the full release, click here.

Capital City Pilots
Capital City Pilots, a project in partnership with the City of Edmonton, will connect local entrepreneurs and innovations with City-owned assets. This novel collaboration is designed as a proving ground for entrepreneurs at all stages to test their ideas and provide valuable case studies for global expansion.

This procurement experiment will accomplish three main objectives:

  • Provides a flagship client for local startups to take their innovations to the world, inspiring future international customers and investors
  • Makes our infrastructure more cutting-edge and sustainable
  • Showcases local innovation in the public realm

“Edmonton is known as a fantastic launchpad for entrepreneurs as they scale up and bring the best of our city to the global market,” said the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Mayor of Edmonton. “This funding allows us to unlock even more potential and use the City as a living lab giving entrepreneurs a chance to test their ideas. With many supports and our open-for-business policies, it is clear that Edmonton welcomes innovation, experimentation, and discovery. Thank you to the federal government for continuing to support Edmonton and our economic revival.”

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Pictured from left to right: Reza Nasseri, CEO, Landmark Group of Companies, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minster for PrairiesCan, Catherine Warren, CEO, Innovate Edmonton, Myrna Bittner, CEO & Founder, RUNWITHIT Synthetics, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Dr. Jacqueline Shan, CEO, PBG BioPharma, Laura Jo Gunter, President & CEO of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
The project expands and reframes procurement with a focus on “challenge-based” sourcing to engage local entrepreneurs, startups and scaleups to supply solutions to municipal problems. Captial City Pilots’ flagship model will also provide access to novel procurement channels, including for early-stage and underrepresented entrepreneurs who may have missed out on more traditional opportunities.

“At Innovate Edmonton, we are positioning our city as a global innovation capital, accelerating innovation tied to global challenges, and providing coaching and navigation services for startups to access new markets and enlightened investment,” said our CEO Catherine Warren. “Through this visionary federal funding, we’re launching Capital City Pilots in collaboration with the City of Edmonton, which aims to provide participating companies with a flagship municipal client to showcase on the international stage, boost innovation within our city, and illuminate innovation in the public realm.”

To view the full release, please click here.

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