Elevate Your Intellectual Property (IP)

ElevateIP Alberta gives you access to the education, support, and resources you need to protect your startup’s IP and grow your business.

 

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What is ElevateIP Alberta?

ElevateIP Alberta is delivered in partnership by Innovate Calgary and Economic Development Lethbridge. Our core mission is to help founders understand, leverage, and protect their intellectual property with the support of business accelerators and incubators (BAIs) and Ecosystem Navigators (ENs).

Why protect your IP?

As a startup, safeguarding your IP is crucial for staying competitive. It prevents others from copying your ideas, builds your brand, attracts investors, and can generate revenue through partnerships.

Protecting your IP is the foundation for long-term success.

Don’t Leave Your IP at Risk

Education, Strategy, and Development

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Understanding the Role of IP in Your Business Strategy

An IP strategy aligns a company’s unique assets with its business goals, ensuring they drive value, minimize risks, and leverage market opportunities. By understanding what sets your business apart, you can develop assets and processes that enhance your competitive advantage and overall success.

ElevateIP Alberta provides access to opportunities to learn about IP through online educational modules, webinars, and collaborative engagement with Alberta’s BAI ecosystem.

 

Online Learning Center

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Creating an Effective IP Strategy

In this phase of your IP journey, collaborating with an IP expert is essential to uncover opportunities and address vulnerabilities. A well-developed IP strategy focuses on long-term success rather than immediate implementation.

IP strategy initiatives may include:

  • Safeguarding against copying
  • Building investor confidence
  • Protecting & strengthening your brand
  • Preventing unintentional IP disclosure
ElevateIP Alberta will work with you to determine your IP strategy needs, and can fund up to 100% of approved costs (less taxes) up to $15,000.

Note: Access to maximum funding is not guaranteed; it depends on a thorough evaluation of the request and demonstrated need.

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Implement Your IP Strategy

This phase involves taking actionable steps to protect and strengthen your IP. Not all businesses reach this stage, as they may find they are not ready or the need is not yet clear.

IP implementation initiatives may include:

  • Trademark search
  • Patentability analysis
  • Risk assessments
  • Developing trade secret protection processes
If approved, ElevateIP Alberta can fund up to 65-90% of approved implementation costs (less taxes) up to $100,000 of total IP support.

Note: Access to maximum funding is not guaranteed; funding of up to $100,000 covers both IP strategy and implementation. All projects must be completed within 90 days.

Since its launch on April 1, 2023, ElevateIP Alberta has garnered significant interest from startups across the province. Due to the high volume of applications, processing times have extended.

We currently advise applicants to anticipate a processing period of 8-12 weeks from the time of initial submission.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Registered or headquartered in Alberta
  • Fewer than 500 employees
  • Fewer than 10 years in business
  • Have a high growth potential, innovation backed business model
  • Less than $10M annual recurring revenue
  • Less than $1M in dilutive funding raised
  • Associated with an Alberta-based business accelerator or incubator

The Three E’s of ElevateIP Alberta

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Educate

Educate startups and business accelerators and incubators (BAIs) on how to align business and IP strategies to enhance access to IP support and promote the sharing of best practices.

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Empower

Empower underrepresented groups by leveraging our ecosystem navigators (ENs) to provide IP support, fostering greater accessibility and inclusivity.

 

Meet Our Ecosystem Navigators

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Elevate

Elevate Albertan startups with customized IP support, driving rapid scaling, and fostering sustainable growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is intellectual property (IP)?

IP refers to a category of legally recognized rights that are granted to individuals or entities for their creations or inventions. These rights are designed to protect and incentivize innovation and creativity. IP are creations of the mind.

For example, IP can refer to inventions, artistic works, symbols, designs, names, images, software, manufacturing processes, and much more. There are several types of IP such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, industrial designs, and informal IP.

What is the timeline for my ElevateIP Alberta application?

Our application process consists of several stages, each with its own timeline:

  • Preliminary Application (Approximately 2 Weeks):
    Preliminary applications are reviewed every two weeks by the ElevateIP Alberta team.

 

  • Application Document Review (Approximately 2 Weeks):
    Once all required application documents are submitted, the review process begins and typically takes up to two weeks.

 

  • Participation Agreement Stage (Approximately 2 Weeks):
    After the application documents are approved, it takes about two weeks to finalize the award letter and participation agreement. Once this step is complete, applicants can officially commence their work.

 

  • IP Strategy Stage (Approximately 12 Weeks):
    Applicants are given 12 weeks to collaborate with their service provider to develop and submit their IP strategy. Once submitted, the strategy undergoes review by the ElevateIP Alberta IP Review Team, which generally takes about 3 weeks.

 

  • IP Implementation Stage (Approximately 12 Weeks):
    After the IP strategy is approved, applicants have 12 weeks to work with their service provider to execute the IP implementation activities.

 

This timeline ensures that each stage is thorough and supports the successful development and protection of your intellectual property.

How does the funding work?

Once accepted into the program, you may receive funding for two phases:

  • IP Strategy Development:
    • Approved funding ranges from $8,000 to $12,000 (up to $15,000 maximum), depending on demonstrated need.
    • Must be completed within 90 days.
    • If you already have an IP Strategy, you can submit it for review and if approved, advance to IP implementation.

 

  • IP Implementation:
    • Highly competitive phase of the program that requires strong business and IP strategies.
    • Projects must be completed within 90 days of approval.
    • The maximum cumulative funding is $100,000, which can be allocated across multiple projects, each requiring separate approval.
Can I still participate in ElevateIP Alberta if I don’t meet the program requirements?

ElevateIP Alberta provides educational opportunities geared toward enhancing IP knowledge within the ecosystem. Online education modules and workshops are offered at no cost and are open to all interested individuals. Please note that ElevateIP Alberta funding is only available to applicants who have been accepted into the program.

 

ElevateIP Alberta is part of a national program. If you are not based in Alberta and do not meet this requirement, please check with your regional ElevateIP program.

Which activities are not eligible for funding through ElevateIP Alberta?

ElevateIP Alberta is unable to fund the following: taxes or costs associated with taxes, litigation costs, ongoing licensing fees, infringement-related costs, costs associated with the repayment of existing debt, the purchase of assets, entertainment expenses, and fines or penalties.

Are startups required to use law firms assigned by the ElevateIP Alberta program?

ElevateIP Alberta maintains a curated list of approved vendors to support your IP needs. If you’re working with an IP agent or lawyer, you may invite them to apply to join the ElevateIP Alberta program. While we welcome applications, we cannot guarantee that your service provider will meet our program criteria. We encourage them to connect with us through our contact page for more information.

Please note that all IP strategy services must be delivered by an Alberta-based provider, while IP implementation services may be completed by non-Alberta providers upon approval.

Is there a cost associated with participating in the ElevateIP Alberta program?

Accessing ElevateIP Alberta funding does not require direct payment from companies. However, there may be indirect costs associated with preparing the necessary application documents, such as hiring a lawyer to verify or create a CAP table.

Additionally, entrepreneurs are responsible for covering applicable taxes and contributing a co-investment amount of 10-35% for IP implementation activities.

Still have questions?

Dive into the details of the ElevateIP Alberta program to find out how we can support your IP needs!

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ElevateIP Alberta is delivered on behalf of the University of Calgary, in partnership by Innovate Calgary and Economic Development Lethbridge