Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) has launched a new $50 million funding round through its annual Industrial Transformation Challenge, aimed at supporting technologies that reduce emissions while improving industrial competitiveness across Alberta’s energy and natural resource sectors.
The program is funded through Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund and supports pilot projects, demonstrations, and first-of-a-kind commercial deployments.
ERA said it has now committed more than $175 million through the Industrial Transformation Challenge since the program was first introduced in 2022.
The latest funding round will provide between $500,000 and $10 million per project, with applicants required to secure at least matching funding from industry partners.
Eligible applicants include technology developers, industrial companies, municipalities, Indigenous communities, SMEs, and research organizations.
Focus on industrial competitiveness and emissions reduction
The program targets a broad range of industrial decarbonization technologies, including AI-enabled optimization tools, grid modernization, energy storage, electrification, low-emissions industrial processes, circular economy solutions, and carbon reduction technologies across sectors such as agriculture, forestry, and heavy industry.
Projects focused on waste-to-value systems, heat recovery, water treatment, bioenergy, and critical minerals are also eligible under the challenge.
According to ERA, all projects must demonstrate compatibility with Alberta’s long-term emissions reduction pathway while supporting economic growth and industrial competitiveness.
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Grant Hunter, Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, said the TIER fund is helping companies move forward with projects that create jobs, strengthen supply chains, and support the province’s energy sector.
Justin Riemer, CEO of ERA, said the funding reflects growing pressure on industries to reduce emissions while remaining globally competitive.
“Through strategic investment in a wide range of technologies, we are advancing a pipeline of solutions that can scale, improve cost competitiveness, and deliver tangible environmental outcomes,” he said.
Applications for the funding round are due by June 17, 2026. Projects will be selected through ERA’s review process, which the organization said will be overseen by an independent fairness monitor.
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