Project List as of June 2024
Entrepreneurship in Alberta (2022 – 2024)
These are two reports carried out for the Alberta government to characterize entrepreneurship in Alberta.
Entrepreneurship in the Prairies (2023 – 2024)
This is a continuation of a series of reports on entrepreneurship in the Prairies for PrairiesCan that focuses on women and youth entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada (2022 – 2023)
This report is a continuation of the series of reports on Atlantic Canada funded by ACOA.
Entrepreneurship in British Columbia ( 2022-2023)
This report characterizes entrepreneurship in BC. It was funded by PacifiCan.
Women’s Economic Knowledge Hub (2021-2023)
This project, funded by ISED and located at Toronto Metropolitan University – uses Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data to help WEKH serves as a one stop shop for women entrepreneurs in Canada.
Entrepreneurship in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (2022)
These two reports, funded by the PrairiesCan, characterize entrepreneurship in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
COVID Impact and Recovery (2021)
This project, for the Government of Alberta, aims to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on entrepreneurship in Alberta and identify pathways for recovery from the pandemic.
Impact of COVID-19 on Women and Youth Entrepreneurship in Western Canada (2021)
This project, for Western Economic Diversification Canada, aims to examine the state of entrepreneurship for women and your in the four western provinces and what impact COVID-19 has had since the previous major study in 2019.
Women’s Economic Knowledge Hub (2019-2022)
This long-term project – funded by ISED and located at Ryerson University – uses Global Entrepreneurship methodology to examine the state of women’s entrepreneurship across Canada.
The state of Women and youth entrepreneurship in western Canada (2019)
This project, for Western Economic Diversification Canada. A look at the state of entrepreneurship across western Canada with a special focus on women and youth. It surveyed 6,144 individuals across western Canada, a very large sample that allowed us to present results in a very granular fashion.
The Impact of Medium sized companies on the Alberta economy.
This project, funded by the Alberta government and Western Economic Diversification, aims to better understand the mid-sized companies in Alberta and characterize their impact on the Alberta economy.
Export of gas from the Mackenzie delta.
This project , funded by the government of the Northwest Territories, is to develop a preliminary technical analysis of the prospects of exporting gas from the Mackenzie delta and associated developmental benefits to the region.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor [GEM] project. 2013- present
THECIS took the lead to create a cross Canada team and secure funding for GEM studies in Canada as well as in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland. This project will produce 20 GEM reports when completed:
- Canada – five reports
- Alberta – four reports
- Ontario – four reports
- Quebec – five reports
- British Columbia – one report
- Saskatchewan – two report
- Manitoba – one report
- Newfoundland – one report
- Nova Scotia – two report
- Atlantic Canada (four provinces) – two report
- Women’s entrepreneurship – three report
- Entrepreneurship at the university of Calgary – one report
- Western Canada Youth – one report
- Yukon – one report
Nanotechnology Road Map implementation project, starting summer 2012
A best practice for developing road maps is to spend the time necessary once the road map is completed taking it to all the main stakeholders and interest groups to secure their understanding and buy in for the Road Map.
Nanotechnology Roadmapping project, 2011-2012
Following on from the previous project, nanoAlberta has asked us to develop road maps for the most promising applications for nanotechnology in Alberta. This involves a collaborative effort among all the stakeholders, in industry, government, university and NGOs.
Impact of nanotechnology in Alberta, 2010/2011
NanoAlberta asked us to identify the major applications for nanotechnology likely to have commercial impact by 2020 and to develop a road map and action plan for realizing the benefits to Alberta.
InnoWest 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010
InnoWest is the western Canadian Innovation Conference. THECIS has organised this event since 2004, and it has become an annual event, with steadily increasing attendance from across western Canada and beyond.
Science to Society Workshop 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
This event is organised to provide business information to 50- 70 graduate students in science, engineering ICT, health and agriculture. It takes place at a weekend on October in Banff. Support has come from iCORE, Alberta Ingenuity, AHFMR, the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute, NSERC Prairies and the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Ingenuity 601 [Graduate Innovation Course], 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
This project, carried out for Alberta Ingenuity, is to develop and deliver a learning experience to graduate students in Alberta to acquaint them with the basics of business concepts and give them experience working on a business related project in a multidisciplinary environment. The delivery of the Course in the Fall of 2007 is supported by the CRTCAC [Calgary Regional Technology Commercialization Advisory Committee] and in 2010 by Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures.
Health Research Translation Project, 2009
This course is modelled on Ingenuity 601 but targeted at graduate students in medical, health and biosciences and related fields such as medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, life sciences and biomedical engineering. The course is supported by CRTCAC [Calgary Regional Technology Commercialization Advisory Committee and AHFMR
Second Banff Innovation Summit, 2008
The theme of the second Banff Innovation Summit was “The resource industries as engines of economic diversification”. The Summit took place in September, with about 30 senior individuals from industry, government and university from the four western provinces. The Summit was supported by Western Economic Diversification, the Alberta government, iCORE and NSERC Prairies.
Pathways Project, 2008
Industry Canada asked us to review the various pathways that knowledge travels from university to business in Canada, and provide examples of each type of pathway identified.
International Comparison Review, 2008
This project developed an analysis of the policies being pursued in different countries to encourage industry-university collaboration; assessed the various strengths and weaknesses of various national approached; provided a critical assessment of the organizational structures of universities that underpin university-industry collaboration; and identified best practices and principles. This was for Industry Canada.
ICT Sector Performance in Alberta, 2007/2008
This project, supported by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, is a follow on from the Alberta Innovation Scorecard project. It aims to answer two questions: How is the ICT sector performing in Alberta? How is the government doing supporting the sector?
Foresight Scoping Workshop, 2007
This was a foresight exercise to identify applications that may emerge from the convergence of nano-technology, biotechnology and ICT. It is initiated by the Office of the National Science Advisor and supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Biotechnology Secretariat and CMC Microsystems.
University Business Collaboration, 2007
This project is a critical review of the literature on how university researchers collaborate with industrial firms, and how those relationships can result in commercial products. Supported by Industry Canada.
Interprovincial Trade in the Oil and Gas Industry, 2007
The Standards Council of Canada asked us to carry out a project to determine if there were any barriers to interprovincial trade in the oil and gs industry that were caused by standardisation factors.
What can we learn from clusters? 2007
This project, for the Alberta ICT Council, aims to identify learnings from the ISRN [Innovation Systems Research Network] research on ICT clusters across Canada which are relevant to the Alberta ICT sector.
Saskatchewan Innovation Scorecard 2006
The Saskatchewan Innovation Scorecard project was funded by the Saskatchewan government, Western Economic Diversification and NRC-IRAP. It aims to portray the state of innovation in Saskatchewan and compare it with benchmark jurisdictions.
First Banff Innovation Summit 2006
The goal of turning Western Canada into a dynamic, diversified and internationally competitive knowledge-based economy must be supported with policies and strategies that take account of both leading-edge ideas and local knowledge about how to assess and improve innovation performance.
The Banff Innovation Summit brought together 30-40 carefully selected industry, policy and academic stakeholders in economic diversification and innovation will interact with an elite international group of experts who are producing leading-edge ideas and knowledge concerning innovation policy and strategy. A speaker from the OECD in Paris provides the keynote address. The Summit was funded by a number of organisations, including the Governments of Canada, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC, and the University of Calgary.
Feasibility Study for a Seraphim Fund and Virtual Angel Support System for Western Canada 2006
One of the problems holding back innovation in western Canada is the shortage of early stage funding. This project addressed that problem by carrying out a feasibility study for a new form of virtual angel network. The project was funded by NRC-IRAP.
Alberta Technology Report 2006
THECIS partnered with Ernst and Young and Ipsos Reid to prepare the 2006 edition of the Alberta Technology Report. The project was funded by Alberta Innovation and Science, Western Economic Diversification xxx. It involved a survey of CEOs of high tech firms to identify the state of the sector.
University Research Park Vision and Conceptual Masterplan, 2005
THECIS worked with a consortium of firms of architects to develop a Vision and Conceptual master plan for the rejuvenation of the University Research Park. This was done for Calgary Technologies, the University of Calgary and Alberta Infrastructure.
Alberta Innovation Scorecard 2005
The Alberta Innovation Scorecard was a direct follow up to the earlier project on developing new economic measures for Alberta. The Alberta Innovation Scorecard was developed using a consultation process with a team from the project sponsors [Western Economic Diversification, Alberta Innovation and Science, and NRC-IRAP]. The Scorecard was released publicly and is available on the THECIS web site.
Health Innovation 2005/2007
This project was funded by a private Calgary based Foundation. It was a year long study of the health industry in Alberta, to identify the main characteristics of the industry and celebrate its successes. The results of this work were disseminated across Alberta by a series of workshops in major centres organised by THECIS.
Innovation System data Initiative 2005/2006
Policy makers often need better and more timely information than is currently available from Statistics Canada. This project – supported by Alberta Innovation and Science, Western Economic Diversification and NRC-IRAP – addressed this need by sending a graduate student to Ottawa and supervising him to obtain information of value to the project sponsors.
Calgary Innovation Clinic 2004
Industry Canada and Western Economic Diversification asked THECIS to organise an Innovation Clinic in Calgary. This involved having two high tech CEOs being interviewed before a live audience to describe the factors leading to their success. The interviews were recorded and have been made available across Canada in DVD format by Industry Canada.
Return to Community – the Impact of the University of Calgary on its Community. 2004
The University of Calgary asked THECIS to prepare a report showing the impact the University has on the community. This report was subsequently used in discussions at the university Senate and by other bodies.
Feasibility Study for a wet lab facility at the Edmonton Research Park
THECIS was asked to join a consortium of architect firms to prepare a feasibility study for this facility. The main THECIS role related to developing the business case for the facility. Subsequently the facility was approved and is under construction.
Annotated Bibliography: Innovation in the Prairie Provinces 2003
Industry Canada in Saskatoon asked THECIS to prepare an annotated bibliography of papers written about innovation in the prairie provinces.
External Technology Audit of AACI Program, 2003
The Alberta Energy Research Institute asked THECIS to carry out an external audit of one of their major technology programs to determine how effective they were.
New Economic Measures for Alberta 2003
This major project for Alberta Economic Development was to develop a set of metrics to measure the effectiveness of the Provinces new economic development plan. It involved participation of members from several different Alberta ministries.
Briefing Paper for a conference on Receptor Capacity 2003
Calgary Technologies asked THECIS to prepare a briefing paper relating to a Canadian conference on receptor capacity held in Toronto.
Paper on Industrial Research, 2002
This project, for Alberta Innovation and Science, was to prepare a paper for discussion at the Ministers of Science and Technology from across Canada.