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Scotiabank is donating $1.25 million across five years to fund the Scotiabank Artificial Intelligence Research Initiative in the University of Alberta’s Department of Computing Science. The money will “enhance artificial intelligence research to understand and build practical tools and predictive models for fraud detection and speech to text in analytics” and will also “support the growth and development of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).”
Inter Pipeline Ltd. has committed $10 million over ten years to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) to “research opportunities to reuse and recycle plastic in Canada.” Known as Plastics Research in Action (“PRIA”), the agreement represents the largest applied research partnership in NAIT’s history. “PRIA will draw on NAIT’s applied research expertise in the area of process engineering, process automation and environmental sustainability.”
G2V Optics Inc. has raised a $1.875 million CAD seed round to help expand its artificial intelligence capabilities and to attract new indoor farming and research clients around the world. The funding round was led by Radar Endeavour Group with Accelerate Fund II, Bluesky Equities, Ashif Mawji, Douglas Gray (NOM Investments), Dr. Ray Muzyka (ThresholdImpact), and Blaine LaBonte (DJI Capital) participating. “Despite the economic uncertainty in Alberta right now, we continue to see investors step up to take advantage of technology opportunities with a global impact. Our ‘cleantech’ business is changing the game when it comes to the untapped potential of artificial intelligence and agriculture,” said CEO Ryan Tucker.
The University of Alberta’s School of Business has risen to 93rd overall in the Business & Economics subject of the 2020 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. “The ranking assesses universities by their performance in accounting and finance, business and management, and economics and econometrics subjects” and includes 632 universities.
The Edmonton Screen Industries Office has launched a new $4 million fund to “help the city capitalize on the screen media industry, which includes video game development, film and television production and augmented and virtual reality.” While local projects are the focus, “those led by companies outside the region are also eligible for funding if they situate their activities in the Edmonton area and use local workers and service providers.” |
