AI-EES SDTC launch $8 million joint funding call to advance water technologies

Calgary, Alberta – Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions (AI-EES) and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) today announced a joint funding call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for Water Technology Projects.

Through this EOI, AI-EES and SDTC are offering small and medium-sized businesses access to a streamlined, harmonized model to access two pools of money through one application. Collectively, there is $8 million available, with a maximum of $1,000,000 per project. This joint EOI will allow participants to access up to 67 per cent of the project funding, which is more than an applicant could typically get through separate SDTC or AI-EES processes.

“Water is essential – to our quality of life, to Canadian industry and major economic sectors. This is why water efficiency and conservation technologies have long been a priority for SDTC,” says Leah Lawrence, SDTC’s president and CEO. “We know there are small and medium-sized enterprises throughout Canada who have the innovations and ideas that could enhance our water use. We would love to hear from them and help get those technologies to market.”

“Advancements of technologies that can improve management and treatment of water resources will be critical to meeting societies’ needs in the future as demands increase, expectations for environmental performance remain high and climate change begins to exert an increasing effect on water supply and variability,” says Dr. John Zhou, CEO of AI-EES.

Projects should be focused on advanced technologies to address water treatment in the following areas:

• Municipal
• Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD)
• Oil sands mining
• Flow-back and produced water from hydraulic fracturing
• Agriculture and irrigation
• Water distribution rehabilitation and repair

All projects are expected to be at an advanced state of prototype development, field pilot or commercial demonstration-stages. Eligible companies for this funding are both incorporated and operating in Canada with less than 500 employees and less than $50 million in annual gross revenue.

The EOI deadline is April 15, 2016 at 3 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Final funding decisions will be made by the Board of Directors for AI-EES and SDTC and will occur in November 2016. Full details are available here.

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Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions (AI-EES) is the lead agency advancing energy and environmental technology innovation in Alberta. AI-EES serves as a catalyst for the development of innovative, integrated ways to convert Alberta’s natural resources into market-ready, environmentally responsible energy and the sustainable management of Alberta’s water resources.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) acts as a primary catalyst in building a sustainable development technology industry in Canada, funding and supporting Canadian cleantech projects across a number of sectors. SDTC invests in Canadian companies that through their innovative technologies bring positive contributions to Canada: creating quality jobs, driving economic growth, and preserving our environment. SDTC is a foundation funded by the Government of Canada. From an initial investment in 2002 of just under $5 million, SDTC has matured into an effective investment mechanism with $740 million in SDTC funds and over $2 billion in leveraged funds in a portfolio of almost 300 projects across Canada. These projects represent a total project value of $2.7 billion, with the private sector contributing 82 percent of the $2 billion in leveraged funding.