The Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) is launching a series of competitions worth $80 million to accelerate clean technology development and commercialization aimed at oil and natural gas industry challenges. Through the Government of Canada’s $100 million commitment from the Strategic Innovation Fund, CRIN’s competitions are intended to accelerate solutions to commercialization and widespread technology adoption to increase competitiveness and significantly reduce environmental impacts.
In partnership with oil and natural gas producers, technology developers will apply for investment awards in three competitions. The focus areas for each competition were determined with industry input to ensure solutions meet industry’s real-world needs and challenges in terms of improving environmental performance. Each competition is run by independent competition co-ordinators to allow CRIN members to participate without conflict of interest:
- Reducing Environmental Footprint Technology Competition – co-ordinated by Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), offering $50 million in total awards with a maximum $10 million to any project. Focus areas include land, methane emissions, novel hydrocarbon extraction and water management.
- Low Emission Fuels and Products Technology Competition – co-ordinated by Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre and The Delphi Group, with $25 million in total awards and a maximum of $10 million to any project. Focus areas are low-emission value-added products, and cleaner fuels that reduce carbon intensity.
- Digital Oil and Gas Technology Competition – co-ordinated by MaRS, offering $5 million in total awards, a maximum of $1 million to any project. Focus areas include environmental monitoring, health and safety, capital project execution, and operations excellence and efficiency.
CRIN president Joy Romero says, “CRIN competitions are designed to advance breakthrough technologies that focus on enhancing environmental performance, including greenhouse gas emissions from source to end use. CRIN is about energy development and environmental stewardship to position Canada as a global leader in clean energy solutions.”
About CRIN
CRIN is a pan-Canadian network focused on ensuring Canada’s hydrocarbon resources are sustainably developed and integrated into the global energy systems. CRIN connects a vast array of skills, knowledge and experience from natural gas, oil and other industries to technology developers, researchers, government, investors, academia, entrepreneurs and others. By identifying industry challenges, CRIN helps to accelerate commercialization and widespread clean technology adoption with environmental, economic and public benefits for Canada.
