PARTNERSHIP INTAKE PROGRAM

Working with Trusted Partners across the Canadian innovation ecosystem creates a unified approach to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and securing Alberta’s lower carbon success. The Partnership Intake Program allows ERA to evaluate proposed projects referred by Trusted Partners, organizations with rigorous, fair, and transparent processes comparable to ERA’s.

This program acts as a catalyst to de-risk and deploy novel technology solutions by giving applicants the opportunity to leverage funding from both ERA and trusted partner organizations. When applicants provide ERA with a funding submission, they have the opportunity to have it shared and considered by other funding organizations. This allows technology innovators greater exposure to possible funding streams and access to later-stage funding opportunities beyond ERA’s scope. The approach reduces red tape for industry to apply and get funding; time and money better spent developing technology solutions and business practices.

Funded Projects

In 2018, ERA approved the first set of projects under the Partnership Intake Program. The process has been highly effective for accelerating innovation, maximizing impact through leverage of partner funds, and reducing the administrative burden for project proponents. The referral-based program allows ERA to consider funding promising technologies outside its traditional call for proposal process, allowing for ongoing opportunities to fund innovative GHG-reducing projects brought forward by Trusted Partners.

Ambyint Inc.
Deploying Autonomous Oil & Gas Production Operations with an Adaptive Controller
Referred by SDTC
ERA funding: $2,000,000 | Total project value: $6,600,000

Aurora Hydrogen
Microwave Pyrolysis Process for Clean and Distributed Hydrogen Production
ERA funding: $3,000,000 | Total project value: $21,634,000

ARIX Technologies Inc.
Corrosion inspection robot and advanced analytics software for industrial applications
ERA funding: $3,000,000 | Total project value: $6,110,814

BioRefinex Canada Inc.
Lacombe Biorefinery
Referred by ERA’s Project Re-Entry Policy
ERA funding: $10,000,000 | Total project value: $46,000,000

Canary Biofuels
Bioenergy Technology Upgrade
Referred by Government of Alberta
ERA funding: $4,700,000 | Total project value: $28,600,000

CarboMat
Producing low-cost and high-value carbon fibres from low-value waste by-products, including oil sands asphaltenes.
Referred by: Alberta Innovates
ERA funding: $1,280,000 | Total project value: $5,080,000

Carbon Clean Energy Ltd.
Project Wheatland
Referred by Economic Development, Tourism and Trade’s Economic Development Division
ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $285,000,000

Carbon Corp
Transformation of CO2 to Valuable Carbon Nanotube Composites
Referred by XPRIZE Foundation
ERA funding: $3,000,000 | Total project value: $10,300,000

Carbon Upcycling
Carbon Nanoplatelet Production from Exhaust CO2 Emissions
Referred by XPRIZE Foundation
ERA funding: $1,500,000 | Total project value: $11,000,000

Eavor Technologies Inc.
Eavor-Loop Demonstration Project
Referred by Alberta Innovates, NRCan, SDTC
ERA funding: $1,000,000 | Total project value: $10,300,000

Enlighten Innovations Incorporated
Creating commercial volumes of precursors that can be used to create viable carbon fibres.
Referred by Alberta Innovates
ERA funding: $950,000 | Total project value: $3,660,000

Fractal Systems Inc.
Enhanced JetShear Regional Hub Development Project
Referred by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $22,000,000

Imtex Membranes Corporation
Energy Efficient Propylene-Propane Separation
Referred by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
ERA funding: $3,000,000 | Total project value: $9,400,000

Lehigh Cement
Edmonton CCUS Feasibility Study
Referred by the Government of Alberta
ERA funding: $1,400,000 | Total project value: $3,000,000

NanosTech
Demonstrate a turnkey, on-site oil extraction and upgrading process that improves operating margins and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Referred by SDTC
ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $33,575,000

PIP Lethbridge Inc.
Implement an innovative Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system at its pilot scale food processing facility to fully decarbonize PIP Lethbridge’s process heat.
Referred by Government of Alberta, Agriculture and Irrigation
ERA funding: $3,000,000 | Total project value: $7,500,000

Quidnet Energy
Geomechanical Energy Storage
Referred by ERA’s Project Re-Entry Policy
ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $11,400,000

Razor Energy Corp.
Swan Hills Co-produced geothermal natural gas power project
Referred by Alberta Innovates
ERA funding: $10,000,000 | Total project value: $28,900,000

Serious Labs
MELT VR Simulator Development
Referred by Government of Alberta
ERA funding: $2,000,000 | Total project value: $11,400,000

Smarter Alloys
Extract Energy Heat Engine
ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $12,500,000

Sylvis Environmental Services
Mine reclamation using and organic residuals to augment soil quality and underpin a cleantech economy through short rotation willow feedstock production
Referred by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
ERA funding: $2,100,000 | Total project value: $14,000,000

Thread Innovations
Demonstrate scalability, viability, and consistency of its proprietary, low-cost, and efficient process for producing carbon fibre using Alberta bitumen in vacuum refinery residue (VRR).
Referred by Alberta Innovates
ERA funding: $3,000,000 | Total project value: $7,950,000

Titanium Corporation Inc.
Demonstration of CVW Sustainable Technology at Canadian Natural Horizon
Referred by NRCan
ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $520,000,000

TransAlta
Procure, install, and operate a battery energy storage system (BESS) co-located at TransAlta’s Ghost Hydroelectric site near Cochrane, Alberta.
Referred by NRCan
ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $198,000,000

Winterhawk Well Abandonment Ltd.
Casing Expansion for Annular Wellbore Methane Leakage
ERA funding: $1,041,207 | Total project value: $350,000

University of British Columbia
Producing carbon fibre materials from asphaltene-based feedstocks extracted from bitumen through processes such as solvent de-asphalting.
Referred by Alberta Innovates
ERA funding: $1,400,000 | Total project value: $5,430,000