Where it began:
In the Spring of 2021, Alberta IoT hosted a Round Table for Industry, Post Secondaries, and fellow community builders. The Round Table was in response to dialogue that we were having over the last year around talent, research, investment, and collaboration as a community. The Report from this session increased the dialogue between the post secondaries in Alberta and Alberta IoT and can be found HERE. The need for digital skill development in connection with lab space and programming dominated the conversation. The Alberta Science Park is in response to multiple post secondaries wanting lab space and programs created or expanded to meet the needs of industry.
About the Science Park Initiative:
Science parks are neutral platforms for collaboration. They offer stimulating and developing environments that provide knowledge-intensive growth companies, in all phases, access to infrastructure, networks, business development and innovation support. As a meeting place between people, ideas, knowledge, and creativity, a science park often acts as a platform for major innovation and collaboration projects between the public sector, business, and academia.
The Alberta Science Park will be a virtual distributed model with connecting facilities at multiple post secondaries with industry. Alberta IoT will play the role of Facilitator and be tasked with creating an environment where participants not only feel that their contributions are welcome, but also feel secure in contributing new ideas.
Expected Outcomes from the Science Park:
- Bridge a gap that exists between industry and access to students, researchers, equipment, hands-on testing, and industry insight.
- Help our scale-up organizations in Alberta grow through access to talent, space, and expertise.
- Provide industry with the ability to collaborate with Post Secondaries in a structured environment that brings together faculty, students, researchers, industry/Alberta IoT members to work on projects that push technology and innovation forward.
- Allow Post Secondaries to understand where the training and pain points exist across the multitude of industries with specific insights into IoT; opening up opportunities for new program creation
This virtual technology park is designed to support research, build talent, and meet the needs of our growing tech business community. Relationships with Post Secondary Institutions have indicated interest in lab/studio space to support the collisions between industry and talent. Some institutions are further along this journey. The Alberta Science Park would build off the work already being done and ultimately act as a central hub of information and facilitation amongst stakeholders.
Want to be involved in the Alberta Science Park? The Alberta IoT team is continuing discovery calls and the build out of a Steering Committee. Contact Jason.k@albertaiot.com to learn more.