Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy Annual Report 2019 Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: A Renewal - Fifth annual report | Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation ©2021 Government of Alberta | Published: January 2021 | ISBN 978-1-4601-4811-2 ISSN 2371-2317 Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ............................................................................................... 5 AWRIS 2019 highlights .......................................................................................... 6 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 9 Reporting and Evaluation .....................................................................................10 Leadership and Accountability .............................................................................10 Report Highlights: Enabling Outcomes ...............................................................10 1. Innovation Focus 10 2. Innovation Platforms 17 3. Innovation Capacity 20 Appendices 1-4 .................................................................................................... 26 ·Appendix 1: Detailed Data Received from the Contributing Partners 26 · Appendix 2a: WIP Collaborators 66 ·Appendix 2b: List of Funding Partners 67 ·Appendix 3: List of Contributing Organizations 68 ·Appendix 4: Definitions of Acronyms 69 · Table and Figures ·Table 1: Comparative metrics for AWRIS reporting 2015-2019 25 · Figures ·Figure 1. AWRIS 2019 highlights 6 ·Figure 2. Highlighted key achievements aligned with Water for Life’s strategic goals 7 ·Figure 3. Highlights of provincial water-related activities over the period of 2015 -2019 8 ·Figure 4. Number of water-related programs offered by various PSIs and per cent of enrolments 24 · Figure 5a. Number of academic water-related programs in various PSIs based on credentials 24 ·Figure 5b. Number of academic water-related specializations in various PSIs based on credentials 24 Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: A Renewal - Fifth annual report | Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation 3 Acknowledgements The Fifth Annual Report of Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: A Renewal (AWRIS) is the result of collaborative efforts made by researchers, students, program delivery agents, service providers, industry partners, and funders. It summarizes activities for the calendar year 2019. We gratefully acknowledge our contributing partners (listed in Appendix 3) for their continued collaboration and support by providing the information within this report on provincial water research and innovation activities. Our special thanks to the government officials, experts, and members of the executive teams for reviewing the report and providing their valuable feedback. 4 Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: A Renewal - Fifth annual report | Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Executive Summary Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: scientific excellence and encourages working together A Renewal (AWRIS) recognizes that water is one of our between governments, academic institutions, industry, and most valuable natural resources and is critical for long-term research organizations. In support of this strategy, the GoA economic and environmental sustainability. It is a provincial is allocating $28.3 million to Alberta Innovates for the Water framework to respond to challenges confronted by Alberta’s Innovation Program (WIP) grant for the period of six years water resource system and to guide the research and (2016 – 2024). innovation (R&I) systems response to these challenges. The fifth AWRIS annual report summarizes the progress Government realizes the importance of water and proper made, lessons learned, and impacts resulting from Alberta’s water infrastructure. Alberta’s investments in water sector water-related R&I activities in 2019. This report provides us a technologies are allowing the province to address current picture of government investments in transdisciplinary team challenges and meet changing water demands. based water R&I, and mechanisms to assess water-related priorities. This report summarizes how Alberta’s business Through AWRIS, the Government of Alberta (GoA) ensures environments and partnership opportunities leverage private that industry, municipalities, recreational and other users enterprises and other governments; the status of innovation have the knowledge and information necessary to use the infrastructure investments and commercial capacity; and provincial resource responsibly. AWRIS also helps ensure that researchers and receptor capacity to move discoveries the R&I system can change to enhance our ability to respond into practices, products, and services. Various workshops, to emerging water demands. conferences, and forums brought together researchers from different disciplines, collaborators, students, government Addressing water-related challenges requires continuous officials, and other stakeholders to share knowledge and innovation based on research, data, and information bridge the gap between university research and policy needs. collection and analysis. This strategy draws on Alberta’s Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: A Renewal - Fifth annual report | Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation 5 AWRIS 2019 highlights FIGURE 1: Highlights strategic investments, ongoing/new partnerships, and synergies contributing to meet the goals of the provincial water agenda in 2019. Innovation Focus (IF) Innovation Platforms (IP) Innovation Capacity (IC) ~$16.49M invested through GoA $3.03M invested by the GoA 40+ WIP High Quality Personnel (HQP) grants including WIP to support water research and innovation infrastructure/equipment funding 36 programs and $250+M direct investments 43 specializations offered at Alberta’s attracted through Clean Energy post-secondary institutions (PSIs) program for impact on water 8+ GoA ministries/agencies provide sustainability data access to public on various water related topics 2035 students enrolled in these programs 63 active research projects funded through WIP and Clean Energy 18+ publicly-funded facilities in Alberta for conducting water R&I activities 6+ PSIs were recognized for contributions in water research and 150 WIP collaborators/funding innovation partners 20 GoA Working Wells workshops delivered 60+ WIP peer-reviewed publications 10+ patents filed through PSIs 6 Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: A Renewal - Fifth annual report | Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Water is one of our most valuable natural resources. It is critical for long-term economic and environmental sustainability. FIGURE 2: The following are examples of key achievements made through R&I activities under AWRIS that are aligned with “Water for Life” strategic goals: Safe secure drinking Healthy aquatic Reliable, quality water water supply ecosystems supplies for a sustainable economy A University of Calgary-led team used An Alberta Agriculture and The WIP-funded SewerVUE Asbestos a collaborative One Health approach Forestry (AAF) led project (WIP-funded) Cement (AC) Pipe Scanner technology to better understand drinking water established a risk-based framework deploys high frequency radar antennas quality of rural groundwater systems in for assessing aquatic ecosystem inside AC pipes to directly provide context of animal health, human health, impairment due to nutrient complete pipe condition assessment and the environment. This project (total nitrogen and phosphorus) including wall thickness measurements, provided a detailed evaluation of concentrations and evaluated map defects, and detect voids outside waterborne pathogens in rural drinking achievability of these nutrient objectives the pipe. This technology has advanced water through an interdisciplinary in various water and watershed from a technology readiness level partnership between the Universities management scenarios. This project (TRL) four to seven and is considered of Calgary, Alberta, Victoria, the Public demonstrated modelling approaches to be close to commercially viable. Health Agency of Canada, Alberta for developing site-specific nutrient Two field tests (one in British Columbia Health Services (AHS) and the Alberta targets through agricultural practice and one in Alberta) were successfully Provincial Laboratory for Public Health changes. Further work will provide completed. This technology will help (part of Alberta Precision Laboratories, recommendations on adoption provide quantitative data towards APL). of nutrient standards in Alberta assessment of rehabilitation/ watersheds. replacement of AC water and wastewater industry pipes. Alberta’s Water Research and Innovation Strategy 2014: A Renewal - Fifth annual report | Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation 7 Many more water R&I success stories are highlighted in the Reporting and Evaluation section of this report based on each outcome of AWRIS. FIGURE 3: Highlights provincial water-related R&I activities over the period of 2015-2019. This includes partnerships formed for knowledge transfer; improved knowledge generation; constant increase in attracting, retaining and developing HQP; considerable water-related programs available at PSIs and consistent support to infrastructure/equipment (detailed version is presented as a table