Action 6
Action 6: Prepare products for market
What are product commercialization centres? How do they fit in this initiative?
Product commercialization centres (similar in many respects to the successful Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc) will connect companies with industry sector-specific product development expertise and provide access to equipment, test facilities, labs, validation or accreditation services and prototyping and customer demonstration support. This will help companies bring more new products and services to market more quickly.
This action is essential to support the development of priority industry sectors for Alberta. The product commercialization centres are part of the systemic approach to the innovation system. They will be supported by the technology development advisors program, innovation vouchers, business development centres and the measures on improving the fiscal environment for technology based companies (tax and venture capital measures).
Can any research or industry organization create a product commercialization centre?
A product commercialization centre is planned to be a coordinated provincial initiative for a priority industry sector. It will connect and coordinate access by Alberta companies to existing and new facilities and services from across the province. Research or support organizations with relevant expertise or facilities can participate in centre activities by collaborating with other organizations with similar interests, and with the industry sector that the centre will be supporting.
What type of expenditures will the funding for product commercialization centres support?
The provincial funding will support a variety of expenditures, including program management and delivery, qualified personnel, equipment and project costs. The new equipment and creation of facilities will be supported if there is a critical element for successful product development that is missing in Alberta. The funding will not support new building construction.
The funding from the program will need to matched by contributions from other partners, such as other governments and industry.
Current as of: Friday, October 24, 2008
Maintained by: Communications branch, AET
