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Applied Research

Overview

Alberta HUB is proving itself to be among the leaders in applied research in the areas of agriculture and unmanned systems.

We are home to the largest student managed farm at Lakeland College with applied research in livestock and crop production. We are also home to the only Pilot-Scale Decortication Facility in Alberta, North America’s largest research and development facility used for Industrial Hemp Fibre manufacturing.

Alberta Innovates / Innotech Alberta

Alberta Innovates is a catalyst for innovation. Through our subsidiary, InnoTech Alberta, investors and business have the opportunity to be at the forefront of research and innovation that leads to economic diversification, enhanced environmental performance and social well-being within the province of Alberta. Innovations include a new approach to plant breeding to improve barley yields and Integrated Manure Utilization System (MUS) with Highmark Renewables.

Funding exists through post-secondary investment programs that offer a broad range of support to researchers at all stages of their careers, from graduate students to the world’s top researchers.

Lakeland Agriculture Research Association (LARA)

LARA is an applied agricultural research association that serves the MD of Bonnyville, County of St. Paul, Smoky Lake County and Lac La Biche County. We are a member of the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA). Our goal is to conduct applied research, demonstrations and extension programs that provide valuable unbiased information to local producers.

Portage College

Portage College secured designation by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to conduct applied scientific research focused on environmental, scientific and engineering-based studies.

The College boasts three Centres of applied research including a Water Treatment Centre, a potable water and wastewater simulation lab used to train operators; a Pipeline Training Centre featuring a 132-acre controlled release training (CRT) site that includes a mock camp for students, a fully operational control centre and an educational closed-loop pipeline; and a Food Sciences Centre that provides comprehensive food services training for students and creates food innovation opportunities for entrepreneurs and new start-ups.

Lakeland College

The power of collaboration in research is undeniable at Lakeland College

Lakeland’s research priorities strongly align with the Alberta Research and Innovation Framework 2030 targets for food and agriculture. Research initiatives support Alberta’s future economy by helping industry partners capitalize on new opportunities, by advancing agriculture practices and technologies, by finding solutions to current challenges, and then by transferring that knowledge to agribusinesses, farms and ranches.

Lakeland is home to the largest Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland with applied research in both livestock and crop production. The college’s Research Centre approaches research with an interdisciplinary mindset, including the Crop Research and Bioenergy Building, G.N. Sweet Livestock Research Facility and the Agriculture Technology Centre which opened in 2021. The 743-square-metre facility is home to Canada’s first agriculture technology degree, with a technology hub, analytical tools, lab and classroom space to collect and analyze production and sustainable data across the farm. 

Working with industry leaders, government officials and other post-secondary institutions, Lakeland’s research efforts are at the forefront of discovery.

For more information on Lakeland College, visit their Program Preview and Applied Research projects.

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