In The Peace Country
Innovation
In 2007 the Peace Region Economic Development Alliance and Grande Prairie Regional College founded the Centre for Research & Innovation (CRI) to make the Peace Country into the best place to be an innovator. The CRI accomplishes this by improving capacity to do applied research, fostering and developing a culture of innovation in the region and providing innovators with the best level of services and resources to enable commercialization of new products and services. The CRI has an active client base of approximately 61.
Innovators seeking assistance in developing their new products should contact the CRI. Their website is www.thecri.ca
Alberta is awarded more patents per capita than any other province. Indeed, the province’s lead in patents has existed for many years, and Alberta continues to pull ahead of other provinces. (See the graph Patents Awarded per 100,000 by Province, 2000—2008.)
Also of interest are indications that the Peace Country may lead Alberta in innovation measured on a per capita basis. For example, in 2009 and 2010 'Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures' awarded vouchers to small Alberta businesses that had developed innovative products with commercial potential. In all, 383 vouchers were awarded, and of these Peace Country firms were awarded 21 vouchers.
This suggests the importance of innovation to the Peace Country and Alberta.
There are many examples of Peace Country innovation. Some companies that are actively innovating include:
- The Risley Group of companies, for inventions in forestry equipment, hydraulics and aviation
- Dika Industries for inventions in agricultural equipment
- Rhinokore Composites Ltd. For developing a honey-comb lattice with structural resilience
- CritiCare Emergency Response for adapting vehicles to rapidly remove injured people from the bush
- Endeavour Equipment Incorporated for small saw head for a 12-ton carrier
- On-Track Supplies & Equipment Ltd. for the development of rubber shoes for cat tracks
- The Green Fuel Company Inc.
- NordicPac Ltd for engineering wood to create aesthetic, easily assembled buildings
- Free Wing Industries Ltd. for inventing a vehicle that can operate in rough terrain and remain horizontally stable
- Bullen Enterprises Inc. for a method for extracting residual oil in wells
- Global Restoration Corporation for a 'seed puck' for reclaiming forests
- Avalon Research Ltd. for developing down hole tools used in the oil industry
- Bullet Solutions for a device for measuring failing components on producing wells
- C-Cubed Consulting Ltd. for developing a new use for oriented strand board
- Davco Solutions for the development of a sawmill that can be used to harvest beetle infested trees
- Foehn Energy Services
- Samurai Trucks for redesigning the suspension and tracks for oil field work
- V2 Enterprises Ltd.
- Intel Energy Systems Ltd. for a specialized tower enabling easy installation
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