The Government of Alberta, through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), is committing $1 million toward the Lab Services Incentive Program (LSIP) Pilot. Funding is sourced from the Government of Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund.

LSIP aims to improve collaboration and access to lab services for early-stage technology developers in Alberta. It’s designed to provide easier access, greater efficiency, and enhanced affordability when it comes to lab services.

Added benefits include moving projects up the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale toward commercialization, and fostering collaborations between post-secondary research institutions and SMEs, in order to grow technology solutions that could be eligible for ERA’s primary programming in the future.

Under the program, a lab services project can receive 60 per cent of the nominal project cost, up to a maximum of $60,000. The program will follow a continuous intake structure until December 31, 2025, or whenever funds are depleted. Pilot projects must end by March 31, 2026.

For detailed program information, you can download the program guide here.

The CEMP is tasked with the delivery of the program at the University of Alberta and will provide assistance with LSIP to those who are developing projects involving lab services delivered at the University of Alberta. Projects involve:

• Small companies (with less than 500 employees) with material presence in Alberta, developing technologies aligned with the LSIP objectives and seeking opportunity to access lab services at the university. The CEMP will work with such a company to identify potential researchers and labs, and facilitate initial discussions.
• The University of Alberta faculty, who are engaged with a small company from Alberta, have capacity to deliver lab services to support the company’s technology development, and are developing a project with the company.

NOTE: Eligible projects need to enable new technology development in the areas of energy, environment, and emissions reductions.

Please contact the CEMP to explore opportunities with LSIP. The following information will be required for moving forward with funding support.