Entrepreneurship at the U of A

The University of Alberta is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship at every stage. Our diverse programs, services, and resources offer support through mentorship, education, and commercialization, along with guidance on licensing and technology transfer. We help provide and connect you with the tools you need to turn your ideas into impactful realities.

Success Stories

The Cohort 1 entrepreneurial fellows are reaching the conclusion of their 2-year journey with the Innovation Catalyst Grant (ICG) program, achieving significant milestones along the way. Funded by the Alberta Ministry of Technology and Innovation, the ICG program empowers the commercialization of STEM-based technologies, particularly those with a hardware component.

our key innovation Resources

Health Innovation Hub

• Advances early-stage health and life-science companies created by UAlberta researchers, faculty and students.
• Supports ventures that build, test, validate and grow via mentorship, education and workshops.
• Provides connections to resources and service providers.
• Co-working and lab space available.
• Biannual program intake occurs in May and November. Companies are accepted based on program capacity.

Northern Alberta Clinical Trials + Research Centre (NATRC)

A collaboration between UAlberta, Alberta Health Services and the University of Alberta, NATRC supports its mission – better medicine, better outcomes. – by helping researchers conduct clinical research, develop new treatments, and explore commercialization.

ThresholdImpact University of Alberta Venture Mentoring Service

• Develops strong, capable entrepreneurs through coaching and guidance.
• Open to all U of A members (alumni, faculty, staff, students) and is modeled on MIT's (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) highly successful VMS program.

ST Innovations

Provides access to:

• Experts in health, digital, smart tech, devices, artificial intelligence, R&D and applied research, and clinical/end-user validation;
• Some of Canada's most advanced labs/facilities and equipment including the modular prosthetic limb (the first and only one in Canada), a bilateral Kinarm exoskeleton, VR immersion system, high-throughput cell-culture testing, and a laser microfabrication suite that supports R&D of implantable/wearable medical devices, advanced optics and diverse lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications.

Innovation, Creativity, Entrepreneurship (ICE) Engineering Incubator

The ICE Engineering Incubator is a collision space and work area for experiential learning in technology innovation and commercialization. The Explorer program is tailored for students learning about entrepreneurship with a technological focus. The Innovator program targets commercialization of technologies, product development, and venture creation by providing mentorship, advice, workshops, and networking opportunities for students, grad students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and recent alumni.

eHUB

A research-driven ideas lab, eHUB:

• provides inclusive experiential learning opportunities for students from all disciplines.
• supports related initiatives and clubs.
• offers resources, networking opportunities, and mentorship to help transform early-stage ideas into projects, initiatives and ventures.

Student Innovation Centre

• Modeled after business incubators and startup offices, the Centre is a collaboration – based boot camp where undergraduates turn creative ideas into reality.
• Student-led activities include competitions, maker projects and ventures. Examples of past initiatives include iGEM, a project to combat diseases in honeybees with genetically engineered organisms, and AlbertaSat, a group of students who designed and launched Alberta's first satellite.

Industry Sandbox + AI Computing (ISAIC)

• ISAIC (Industry Sandbox & AI Computing) is a service provider housed at the University of Alberta, providing startups, small-medium enterprises, and instructors access to computational resources, such as GPU and CPU machines, Virtual Machines, and more. 

Additional Resources