Photo courtesy Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce

By Erika Rolling

Technology and innovation

Province investing over $778,000 for tech innovation in Grande Prairie and northwest region

May 10, 2022 | 2:54 PM

The province is boosting tech innovation in Alberta by giving $18.7 million to the eight regional innovation networks,

The Grande Prairie Regional Innovation Network is getting $778,500 over the next three years to help start-ups bring their products to consumers.

“The money is used to develop innovative products and support innovators and entrepreneurs throughout northwestern Alberta,” says network coordinator Jane Hunter-Uryn.

GPRIN covers a large region of the province.

“It runs from Onoway west to Jasper, north to the High Level (and the NWT) border, east to Slave Lake and then Grande Prairie to the B.C border.” Hunter-Uhryn explained.

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“Grande Prairie area is very entrepreneurial and we know there are a lot of people outside of the major hub that have concepts, ideas, things they are working on that maybe they don’t realize they have the ability to commercialize it, or there might be supports available.”

Community Futures Grande Prairie administers GPRIN funds for northwestern Alberta. Hunter-Uhryn says “Innovation helps drive economic growth and diversity.”

“Really it’s for the people of the northwest. The people who have an entrepreneurial spirit, innovative ideas… for economic growth even if it’s measured in small metrics it’s still growth!”

The Alberta Innovation Network was established in 2008, including eight regional innovation networks that have helped 7,000 innovators, entrepreneurs and companies, leading to 354 inventions to date.