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| Alberta Rated Top Investment Climate in Canada |
Fraser Institute Report - Canadian Provincial Investment Climate 2008
The Fraser Institute’s Canadian Provincial Investment Climate 2008 Report rates the Canadian provinces based on a Provincial Investment Climate Index. Alberta ranked first and was clearly Canada’s top province. Alberta received the highest score in the areas of corporate income tax, fiscal prudence, personal income tax, corporate capital tax, and labour market regulation. |   |
| Improving Access to Capital |
The Alberta Enterprise Corporation Act - $100 million to invest in early stage capital funds
$100 million has been allocated to the Alberta Enterprise Corporation as part of a strategy to help technology companies grow. Targeting investments in priority sectors including life sciences, information and communications technology, environmental technologies, and nanotechnology, the Corporation will make investments across a number of funds as one of a number of limited liability partners in these funds. Improved access to capital will mean that companies can spend less time raising capital and more time developing technologies, products and market plans. Legislation passed in spring 2008 allowed the formation of the Alberta Enterprise Corporation. Board members are currently being selected. | | |
| Supporting Commercialization |
Innovation Voucher Pilot Program
This two-year $4 million pilot program offers financial support to Alberta small and medium sized enterprises during the early stages of developing commercial products. Preference will be given to businesses in emerging growth sectors such as clean technology, life sciences and information and communication technologies. Businesses are eligible to receive one of each type of voucher available through the program: - To a maximum value of $10,000 for smaller fee-based services such as marketing studies, business advice, or business formation.
- To a maximum value of $50,000 for more substantial technology development activity such as product prototyping, lab verification, field testing, etc.
All applications must be submitted by February 13, 2009. There will be another round in spring of 2009. | | |
Edmonton, Alberta Named One of the World's Smartest Cities
For the second year in a row, Edmonton is being recognized as a Smart21 Community for being an exemplary technology user on the world stage. The coveted award from the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), an influential New York-based think tank, recognizes just 21 communities internationally for excellence in the development of a prosperous economy that maximizes broadband and information technology. The ICF also produces a list of the world's Intelligent Communities, both Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta made the list. | | |
Alberta Companies Win at the Banff Venture Forum
At the 2008 Banff Venture Forum, where over 35 leading technology companies competed for the attention of venture capital and angel investors, two Alberta companies collected awards. - TheraCarb Inc. was the Best in Class winner for the Life Sciences Technologies Stream. TheraCarb Inc. is working on a number of vaccines; their lead vaccine candidate is designed to treat infections from Candida albicans.
- ASAT Solutions Inc. was the Best in Class winner for the Energy Stream. ASAT Solutions Inc. is a provider of Smart Grid technologies and applications to electric utilities for enhancing the efficiency and reliability of the power grid.
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Wireless in Alberta
The mobile applications sector is booming and Alberta with its strength in wireless and communication is in an excellent position to benefit. There are estimated to be over 500 wireless and communications companies in the province, and Alberta has special expertise in Wi-Fi technologies, telecommunications integration, and location/GPS and related software applications. In their October 2008 article, The Next wireless Wave, Alberta Venture magazine highlighted four exciting mobile applications companies, Mob4Hire.com, HotButton Solutions , Singletouch and MoboVivo. Mob4Hire.com links developers of mobile applications and games with crowd testers in over 80 countries around the world to help speed up the development cycle. HotButton Solutions provides a handheld field data capture solution, HotLeap™ ; designed to meet the needs of oil and gas, the solution can quickly be adapted to other industrial sectors requiring a secure data bridge between the field and corporate applications. Singletouch allows contracting or construction companies realtime reporting of job site progress by direct data entry to a single database, this saves time and money and reduces errors. MoboVivo is the first company in Canada to licence and distribute television shows online and for mobile phones. They recently became the #1 iPhone WebApp and sell programming internationally on all platforms from mobile phones to set top boxes. | | |
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| The creators of Alberta Investment News would like to thank the Alberta Government Library for their support in researching content for this newsletter.
ISSN 1918-5154 | |
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JANUARY 2009
Important notice
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