Global competition with big money finds new home at UCalgary

The University of Calgary will soon be home to a new Xprize Hub — the first in Canada and the organization’s first international location. Founded in 1998 and based in California, Xprize is a non-profit organization focused on a mission to “inspire and empower humanity to achieve breakthroughs that accelerate an abundant and equitable future for all.”

More practically, that means that Xprize hosts large-scale competitions to incentivize and crowdsource solutions to big problems. The competitions last for years and offer large cash prizes — one of the organization’s competitions on desalinization systems will run for five years and award the winner $119 million.

“As we aim to expand XPRIZE’s global impact, our Hubs will play a pivotal role in fostering connections with innovators worldwide to address the most urgent challenges facing humanity,” said Anousheh Ansari, CEO of Xprize. “The University of Calgary is the ideal premier partner for the XPRIZE Canada Hub with its strong commitment to research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Together we will build a strong startup ecosystem to build scalable solutions toward a better future for all.”

UCalgary has received $1.5 million in funding from Alberta Technology and Innovation, and an additional $1.5 million from the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund contributing to a five-year initiative to operate the hub.

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🤝 Funding, Deals, and Partnerships

• Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund receives $60 million to scale local businesses. “How do we make sure we have the talent to allow those companies to scale, which is part of our thesis going forward?” OCIF CEO Brad Parry said. Betakit

• SAIT receives a $37 million research lab facility. In the single largest corporate gift to any post-secondary institution in Alberta, Imperial Oil Limited, one of Canada’s largest energy companies, has donated a $37 million research lab facility to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. SAIT

• STEM Innovation Academy and STEM Collegiate sign MOU with MIT to offer exclusive high school STEM course. These courses challenge students to tackle real-world problems in fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and more. STEM Innovation Academy and STEM Collegiate

• Canadian Food Innovation Network awards $50K to five student-led foodtech ventures. Calgary’s Chromasense Technologies received funding for its low cost, sustainable food freshness sensors that indicate when food is no longer safe to consume. Canadian Food Innovation Network

• UCeed Haskayne student fund invests in Hyperlume. Students involved with the UCeed Haskayne Student Fund — which is open to students across faculties — are not just learning about venture capital in theory, they are investing for real. University of Calgary

📰 Need To Know

• Meet the 2025 Alberta Cleantech Award finalists. Now in its third year, the awards spotlight the bold technologies, regional expertise, and collaborative organizations fuelling the province’s cleantech momentum and contributing to a stronger, more sustainable economy for Alberta and Canada. LinkedIn

• Power utility TransAlta expects Alberta data centre deal this year. Data centres, used in artificial intelligence and other high-tech industries, are massive operations that require an immense amount of electricity to run and cool off computer servers. Globe and Mail

• Digging the gap: Changemaker Jody Conrad uses technology to revolutionize mining industry. Calgary CEO is making strides to provide data for mining companies in a male dominated industry. Calgary Herald

• U of A launches new centre to fuel a hydrogen-powered future. In a world hungry for sustainable energy, Alberta is fast becoming one of the pre-eminent jurisdictions on the planet for hydrogen fuel and expertise. University of Alberta

• Startup TNT welcomed its new executive director. CK Dhaliwal “brings a wealth of operational expertise and a passion for community building and economic development.” LinkedIn

• Cvictus taps Alberta research talent to advance ‘nature positive’ biotech solution. Cvictus is on a mission to resurrect a proven, decades-old industrial fermentation process that converts methanol into a high-protein material used in animal feed. Calgary.Tech

• Why Inventures 2025 is the place to be for Alberta’s tech takeoff. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, researcher, or innovator, this is your chance to connect with the people—and ideas—shaping Alberta’s future. Alberta Innovates