Alberta Innovates — Voucher Program

• The applicant must be a for-profit small or medium-sized enterprise (fewer than 500 full-time employees and under $50,000,000 in annual gross revenue).
• The applicant must be incorporated in Alberta or extra-provincially registered in Alberta, or be a for-profit General, Limited or Limited Liability Partnership registered in Alberta.
• The company must be Alberta-based with a clear Alberta footprint, including significant physical and operational presence, appropriate Alberta ownership, and intent for benefits to flow primarily to Alberta.
• The applicant must be able to provide a minimum 25% cash contribution toward the total eligible project costs.
• The project must advance a new, unique, patentable technology or innovation toward commercialization, within Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4–9, and fit the program’s objectives.

Who is eligible?

• Alberta-based technology companies
• Alberta-based innovation companies developing novel, promising technologies
• Small and medium-sized for-profit corporations in Alberta
• For-profit general partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships registered in Alberta

Who is not eligible

• Organizations that are not for‑profit corporations, general partnerships, limited partnerships or limited liability partnerships (for example, non‑profits or charities).
• Companies that are not incorporated or registered in Alberta, or do not have the required Alberta footprint (significant physical and operational presence, appropriate Alberta ownership, and intent that benefits flow primarily to Alberta).
• Large enterprises with 500 or more full‑time employees or annual gross revenues of $50,000,000 or more.
• Applicants that are prohibited from receiving Alberta Innovates funding due to past bad debt or not being in good financial standing with Alberta Innovates or its subsidiaries.
• Projects where required goods or services would be purchased from U.S.-based vendors using grant funds without Alberta Innovates’ prior written consent.

Eligible expenses

• Invoices from eligible external service providers for services directly related to the project during the project period.
• Purchase of capital equipment and capital improvements to facilities (excluding land and buildings) that are critical to the project, with the funded portion prorated over the asset’s economic life.
• Acquisition of software or information databases essential to delivering the project, with costs prorated over the project period.
• Pre‑approved or quoted travel by service providers that is necessary to complete the project (e.g., mileage, economy airfare, reasonable accommodation and meals).
• Unrecoverable GST paid on eligible project costs, where the company is not otherwise reimbursed.

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies incorporated or registered in the province of Alberta, Canada, with their main operations and footprint in Alberta.

• Fit with the Voucher Program’s objectives and intended outcomes.
• Strength and potential of the technology and business opportunity, including product/market fit and export potential.
• Quality and capabilities of the management team and overall business readiness.
• Technical feasibility and plan to progress technology readiness level and scale-up.
• Expected benefits to Alberta, including job creation, revenue and export growth, economic diversification, and socio-environmental impacts.

• Applications are accepted on a continuous intake basis; there is no fixed deadline for submitting a project.
• The program supports working with up to three separate contracted service providers within a single project.
• Alberta Innovates provides sample documents (investment agreement, financial documents guide, and quote template) to help applicants structure their submissions and project documentation.
• Technology Development Advisors and Regional Innovation Networks offer free coaching and connections to ecosystem resources alongside this funding.