Alberta Inventors and Inventions

Medical building at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, 1921

This section highlights a number of the Alberta colleges, universities or technical institutes involved with research. Traditionally, research has been conducted through academic centres—they combine the necessary facilities and capital with the brightest minds in a particular field. University and collegiate research is commonly associated with pure research or research for the sake of advancing knowledge in a particular field. However, most academic centres have realized the immense potential of technology transfer.

Opening of the University of Calgary Health Science Theatre,1973

Through technology transfer and commercialization, the research and advancements coming from university laboratories is becoming a valuable commodity. In Alberta, each major academic institute has a department designed specifically for commercialization and technology transfer, combining cutting-edge research with investment capital. This partnership between the laboratory and the marketplace is a prime example of the knowledge-based economy emerging in Alberta. The boundaries between research and commerce are becoming less apparent and nearly all academic innovations have potential market value.

Academic Centres