Network for Applied Technology Receives $298,800 NRED Grant to Connect Alberta’s Emerging Talent to What Matters
The Network for Applied Technology (NAT) is pleased to announce its inclusion in the 2025-2026 cohort of the Northern and Regional Economic Development Program, a Government of Alberta initiative offered through the Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration. The $298,800 investment supports a three-year project — running from January 2026 to January 2029 — aimed at reducing the fragmentation that makes Alberta’s talent-development and innovation ecosystem hard to navigate.
“The NRED program is providing the supports communities across the province need to attract investment, grow their economies and create jobs for hard-working Albertans. We are proud to see the Network for Applied Technology is using a Northern and Regional Economic Development grant to unlock new opportunities for students, researchers and early-career professionals and help them solve real-world problems using technology.”
Joseph Schow, Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration
The problem is not a shortage of programs. Rather, the existing programs are not aligned with each other, and the people who need them most often can’t find them. Students, early-career professionals, founders and community groups routinely hit dead ends, because the landscape is siloed and access is easier for those who already have networks. Meanwhile, funders and policymakers lack the visibility to know where people are falling through the gaps.
The current NAT project aims to solve this problem by providing a shared digital coordination platform that matches individuals and early-stage projects with programs, spaces, equipment and funding opportunities in real time. This solution offers an active routing layer for the ecosystem as opposed to a static directory. The new platform will also give partners a shared view of access patterns and demands, and produce quarterly ecosystem health reports to help funders and regional leaders make better-targeted investments.
The project also addresses one of the most overlooked assets in Alberta’s innovation infrastructure: the underused labs, studios and makerspaces across the province. By making these facilities visible and accessible, NAT expects utilization to increase by 15–20 per cent within the first 12 to 18 months — meaningful capacity unlocked without capital investment.
NAT’s applied programming reflects where Alberta has the most to gain. Initiatives will focus on medical imaging, advanced manufacturing and construction, cellular agricultural technology and AgeTech, fields that are at the intersection of emerging technology and real economic and social priorities. The approach is grounded in a simple belief: the next generation of builders should be working on the problems that matter most, and hands-on, community-embedded training is the fastest route from capability to impact.
Grassroots and early-stage community organizations are a particular focus. These groups are often best positioned to reach underserved populations but are frequently shut out of competitive grant processes by limited infrastructure and networks. Through workshops, resources and facilitated connections, NAT will help these organizations get off the ground — lowering the barrier to community-led innovation in regions where programming is currently sparse.
Roundtables and co-design sessions will bring together post-secondary institutions, nonprofits, industry, government and grassroots groups to identify collaboration opportunities, including referrals, co-hosted programs, shared outreach and joint facility use. By year three, the platform is expected to support 50–60 early-stage projects annually, with 15–20 per year securing follow-on funding through grants, investment programs or partnerships.
The initiative sets out tangible targets that will impact workforce and business: at least 150 young Albertans connected with programs, internships or hands-on experiences annually by year three, with 50 or more moving into jobs, apprenticeships or entrepreneurship. Businesses will gain easier access to students, instructors and community groups for applied collaboration, enabling 10–15 new industry partnerships per year and an estimated 15–25 new jobs annually as early-stage ventures move into pilot phases.
Alberta’s innovation potential is real, and this NAT project is about making sure more people can access it.
About the Network for Applied Technology (NAT)
NAT is a talent-based innovation community dedicated to applied technology across a growing range of high-impact domains. It promotes education, skill development, access to specialized tools and hardware, and community, connecting people across academia, industry and the entrepreneurial sector to drive interdisciplinary, scalable innovation across Alberta and Canada.
For media inquiries: Miles Esclanda — miles@nat.ltd