Ecosystem Development Partnerships (EDP) Program 2026-2027

Eligibility

• Post-secondary institutions are eligible. The Applicant Representative (Principal Investigator) must be an eligible project holder according to UCalgary policies.
• Qualified applicant organizations are those focused on providing communities, services, and supports for inventors and entrepreneurs traversing the client journey and building capacity, platforms and/or networks. The program is not intended to help individual applicant organizations directly.
• Alberta-wide initiatives are preferred. Regional initiatives and gaps should be addressed with the local Regional Innovation Network (RIN).
• Research projects, sponsorships, and product development projects are not eligible.

Summary

The Ecosystem Development Partnership (EDP) Program aims to enhance Alberta's research and innovation ecosystem by converging services and initiatives. The purpose of the program is to support innovators in Alberta and promote collaboration and opportunities within the ecosystem. Alberta Innovates seeks to partner with eligible organizations to build a research and innovation economy in Alberta that serves as a competitive advantage for innovators and simultaneously transforms products and services for Albertans.

The EDP Program is focused on the following priority areas:

• agri-food innovation;
• technology innovation hubs;
• clean energy; and
• digital health implementation and adoption.

Contributions from the applicant organization and other sources are not required for the EDP Program. Additional consideration, however, will be given to projects where it is demonstrated that the applicant contributes cash or in-kind funding and/or leverages funding from other sources.

Refer to the EDP Program webpage for more details.

Submission Process

This is a continuous intake program. It is the PI's responsibility to observe the standard Research Services internal deadline of 3 business days ahead of submission to the funding sponsor.

Expression of Interest (EOI)

1. EOIs must be submitted to Research Services (RSO) for institutional approval and mandatory administrative review through the Research Management System (RMS) at least 3 business days (at 12:00 p.m.) ahead of submission to the funding sponsor.
2. Complete a Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record in RMS and 'Submit for approvals' (Under Save & Progress) in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline.
3. Upon review and approval, the PI may submit the EOI to the funding sponsor.

Full Application (by invitation)

1. Applications must be submitted to Research Services (RSO) for institutional approval and mandatory administrative review through the Research Management System (RMS) at least 3 business days (at 12:00 p.m.) ahead of submission to the sponsor.
2. Complete a Pre-Award/Application record in RMS and 'Submit for approvals' (Under Save & Progress) in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline.
   • There is no need to create an entirely new Pre-Award/Application record in RMS. Continue with the same RMS number by updating the status of the Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record to 'Invited for full application' (under Save & Progress). The system will generate a Pre-Award/Application record.
3. Upon review and approval, the PI may submit the EOI to the funding sponsor.

Overhead

Pre-application deadlines

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application