Innovate Calgary
September 25, 2026 - As the University of Calgary’s research commercialization headquarters and tech transfer body, Innovate Calgary bridges the gap between groundbreaking research and practical application, enabling discoveries to solve real-world problems.
In 2025, its Technology Transfer Office supported 120 invention disclosures, generated 13 new startups, and produced $5.5 million in licensing revenue—demonstrating strong commercial outcomes that underpin health and social innovations.
Innovate Calgary’s innovation hubs and programs supported 439 jobs and $58.8 million in revenue among hub member companies last year. The UCeed Fund—a University of Calgary seed fund, managed by Innovate Calgary—is a philanthropy-enabled University program that helps translate research discoveries into real-world solutions and strengthens entrepreneurial learning for founders and students. Companies supported through UCeed Fund generated 399 jobs and $249 million in combined revenue, a material impact in the community. These outcomes show the University of Calgary’s robust contribution to local employment, startup growth, and economic diversification with their commitment to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation commercialization.
Both of Innovate Calgary’s innovation hubs are supporting the highest caliber research addressing global challenges.
The Life Sciences Innovation Hub supported 118 companies in 2025, through access to infrastructure, equipment, and expertise they need to transform life and medical science into impactful industry solutions. The Hub helped to launch 59 new products, initiated 14 clinical trials, facilitated 80 patent filings, and created 145 new jobs, all in sectors that save lives and improve community well-being.
The Aerospace Innovation Hub, backed by $3.9 million in investment and supporting 23 member companies, provides prototyping, mentorship, and a living lab environment that accelerates aerospace, defense, and dual-use technologies, while creating new high-quality career pathways for University of Calgary students and researchers, and attracting world-class innovators to Calgary to catalyze the city’s aerospace ecosystem.
Innovate Calgary exemplifies “the effective application of innovation with clear community benefit” through the University of Calgary’s dedication to supporting research, startup formation, and ecosystem building that delivers measurable social and economic impact for Calgary, Alberta, and Canada.
City of Airdrie
June 22, 2026 - The City of Airdrie Affordable Housing Program is award worthy because it delivers a fully integrated, evidence-based, and measurable impactful municipal housing system - something few Canadian cities have achieved. The city pairs bold regulatory reform with long-term financial commitment, creating a model that is both innovative and scalable. Airdrie has modernized zoning and land-use policies to enable a wider range of housing types across new and established neighborhoods, directly increasing supply diversity. The city’s 2024 to 2030 Affordable Housing Principled Action Plan unifies all municipal departments under a shared mandate to expand below-market housing, defining clear roles as funder, partner and regulator. - a whole-of-municipality approach, rarely seen in Canada. Airdrie strategy is grounded in rigorous data, with demand for affordable housing units projected to rise from to 2,100 within a decade. The city has created a “Made in Airdrie” plan designed to be self financing and sustainable. By combining regulatory innovation, financial tools, and measurable outcomes, Airdrie offers and nationally relevant blueprint for municipal leadership in housing.
Erin Chrusch
April 17, 2026 - Erin Chrusch, Leader of Business & Local Economy for The City of Calgary, is being recognized with the Innovate Challenge award for her outstanding leadership in making Calgary a more innovative and entrepreneur friendly city.
Through initiatives such as the City’s Support Local efforts, digital adoption programming for small businesses, and partnerships that turn Calgary into a testbed for new ideas, she has helped create a more streamlined, responsive
environment where local businesses can start, grow, and compete in a rapidly changing economy. Under Erin’s guidance, the Business and Local Economy team has worked collaboratively with community and ecosystem partners to reduce barriers, modernize how the City serves entrepreneurs, and open new opportunities for experimentation and growth. By championing innovation inside City Hall while building strong external partnerships, Erin exemplifies the kind of cross-sector, community scale leadership that the Innovate Challenge is designed to celebrate: visible change, shared benefit, and a clear “before and after” story for Calgary’s business community.
