Alberta’s research talent is engineering a sustainable, innovative future

By Margaux Dugras ©2018 Postmedia Network Inc. ​This article was published in the Calgary Herald on Dec 10, 2024

Calgary and Edmonton are hubs for world-class research in clean energy and artificial intelligence

If you have ever coded with the Javascript programming language or used canola oil to cook, you have experienced the innovative wonders of Albertan universities. 

These, and many other inventions, including the hepatitis B antiviral medication and synthesized sugar molecule, trace their origins back to either the University of Alberta or University of Calgary.  

Checking in with the academic research scene in Alberta can be dizzying. Both top-tier institutions provide significant benefits to their respective local economies and help position Alberta on the international stage as a hub of innovation.  

The province is the No 1 startup creator in Canada, as it nurtures the pipeline from research in the lab to commercialization. “Academics identify and pilot solutions to important industry problems; meanwhile, industry collaborators gain access to top talent,” says Darren Fast, associate vice-president, innovation, knowledge mobilization & partnerships at U. of A.  

The Alberta Machine Learning Institute (Amii) connects world-class artificial intelligence (AI) experts with companies in the innovation space, with a focus on ethical AI development. The bridge between applied research and industry creates jobs and brings tangible benefits to communities in the region. 

“Foundational, curiosity-driven research is an important first step for many of the daily innovations we all use,” Fast says.  

U. of A. inventions with promising social impacts have already come through the pipeline. RL Core, a U. of A.-based startup, uses reinforcement learning to optimize the operations of water treatment plants in real time. In the health-care sphere, associate professor Jacob Jaremski developed an AI-powered portable ultrasound system to expand access to diagnostics. 

In addition to creating new businesses, U. of A. and Amii offer work-integrated learning opportunities for students to grow their career skillsets, as well as mentorship and talent networks.  

Meanwhile, at UCalgary, researchers are working toward an economically beneficial clean energy transition. 

In line with its scope of sustainable action, the Energy Transition Centre (ETC) run by Innovate Calgary and the UCalgary has had an impressive economic output. In just three years, ETC has created 40-plus direct jobs, attracting over $8 million in private investment, developed 20 clean technologies enroute to commercialization and trained over 700 industry professionals. 

“Incubation spaces like the ETC nurture innovation-led clean energy development (by) generating economic activity in research and development that would not otherwise exist,” says Puneet Mannan, associate director of the ETC. 

Mannan says that work in the clean energy space makes social welfare a “critical element” of research initiatives at the ETC. The centre also bridges the worlds between academia and industry through event programming and knowledge dissemination.  

To learn more about U of A’s research and innovation streams, visit https://www.ualberta.ca/en/research/index.html. To find out more about the UCalgary’s innovative research programs, visit https://research.ucalgary.ca/.  

This content was produced by Content Works, Postmedia’s custom content studio.