August 28, 2008: Small or large companies and tech-savvy entrepreneurs who want to bring nanotechnology products to world markets can now access technical and business services at a new facility in Edmonton’s Research Park.
The Alberta Centre for Advanced Microsystems and Nanotechnology Products (ACAMP) is supported by $11.5M in total funding with contributions of $8M from the Alberta government and $3.5M from Canada’s Western Economic Diversification. It will support the province’s growing nanotechnology sector in three critical areas of commercialization: packaging and assembly, business and product development, and marketing.
“Alberta’s global reputation for nanotechnology research just became enhanced as we will now be recognized as a place for putting that technology on the store shelves and into peoples’ lives,” said Doug Horner, Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. “This new centre will give entrepreneurs a place to turn ideas into viable, market-ready products.”
Alberta-produced nanotechnology products have applications in vital sectors such as medicine, resources, and information and communications technology. Products made by Alberta companies include: labs-on-a-chip that speed medical diagnoses; nanoparticle coatings to enhance the service life of earth moving machine blades; motion sensors for electronics; and numerous other products that can impact the lives of Albertans.
“It’s incredible, the number of emerging technology companies in Alberta with the potential to develop exciting new consumer products for worldwide markets,” said Ken Brizel, recently appointed CEO of ACAMP. “Alberta is a prime location for world-class research, and ACAMP can provide the means to turn research into viable products. In fact, we are already helping our clients produce marketable products to compete globally.”
ACAMP will identify commercial market opportunities in global markets and promote Alberta’s nanotechnology capabilities nationally and internationally. An ACAMP team will work with start-up and established technology companies to coordinate product packaging and assembly in-house or through the U. of Alberta’s NanoFab, the U. of Calgary’s Advanced Microsystems Integration Facility, or the National Institute for Nanotechnology of the National Research Council (NINT). ACAMP will also align its product development activities with the Microsystems Technology Research Initiative and Alberta Ingenuity’s nanoWorks program.
“ACAMP is the result of a collaborative effort between industry, government and academia to create a platform for product development activities in the province,” said Bruce Alton, Chair of the ACAMP board of directors. “And we are very pleased to have obtained the services of Ken Brizel as the first CEO of ACAMP.”
On June 11, the Alberta government introduced the $178M “Action Plan for Bringing Technology to Market.” This plan includes numerous resources that companies and technopreneurs can access to help move ideas into the marketplace in concert with ACAMP’s services. Alberta’s $130M nanotechnology strategy, announced in May 2007, aims to capture 2% of the world’s nanotechnology market by the year 2020, projected to be US $1T, equaling $20B in annual commercial activity.