Campus Alberta Small Business Engagement (CASBE) Program

• The applicant must be an Alberta-based for-profit small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) with at least 2 full-time employees.
• The company must have at least 2 years of demonstrated operations in Alberta and be able to adopt and develop in-house the results of the academic research.
• The SME must have fewer than 500 full-time employees and less than $50,000,000 in annual gross revenue.
• The business must be legally incorporated in Alberta, or incorporated federally/elsewhere and registered extra-provincially in Alberta, or a registered partnership in Alberta.
• The project must align with Alberta’s research and commercialization priorities and involve the adoption of emerging technologies (TRL 2-6) in collaboration with an Alberta post-secondary institution.

Who is eligible?

• For-profit small- or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with at least 2 full-time employees
• Companies with fewer than 500 full-time employees and less than $50,000,000 annual gross revenue
• Businesses with demonstrated operations (of at least 2 years) in Alberta
• Legal entities incorporated in Alberta, or federally/extra-provincially registered in Alberta, or registered partnerships in Alberta

Who is not eligible

• Companies that are not for-profit small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
• Businesses with fewer than 2 full-time employees.
• Organizations that have operated for less than 2 years in Alberta.
• Companies not legally incorporated or registered in Alberta (including those only incorporated federally or in other provinces but not extra-provincially registered in Alberta).
• Businesses not in good financial standing or with outstanding financial or final reporting obligations to Alberta Innovates or its subsidiaries.

Eligible expenses

• Reasonable costs incurred after signing the Investment Agreement between Alberta Innovates and the Applicant.
• Costs covered by NSERC for research partnership projects, provided they meet NSERC guidelines.

Eligible geographic areas

• Alberta

• Alignment with the objectives and intended outcomes of the CASBE Program.
• Demonstration of eligibility for the applicant, industry partner, and proposed project as per program guidelines.
• Assessment based on merit indicators followed by NSERC for the specific program applied to (e.g., NSERC ARD, NSERC Alliance).
• Demonstration and integration of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) practices in the proposal.

• Applications are accepted on a continuous intake basis; there is no fixed deadline for submission.
• Performance monitoring may continue for up to five years after project completion to assess long-term impact.
• Alberta Innovates funds projects on a milestone completion basis, requiring sufficient progress for each payment.
• The applicant must agree to the sharing of application information between Alberta Innovates and NSERC for evaluation and reporting purposes.