Calgary is stepping into a new phase of economic development with the launch of a city-wide innovation strategy designed to organize its growing tech and innovation ecosystem and prepare for a decade of anticipated growth.
Unveiled today at Calgary Economic Development’s 2025 Report to the Community, Calgary’s Innovation Strategy sets out a 10-year roadmap projected to create up to 187,000 jobs and contribute more than $28 billion in economic activity by 2034.
The strategy marks the first time Calgary has attempted to organize its innovation economy around a connected system of sector-specific hubs and formal navigation supports. Calgary Economic Development (CED) says it’s a way to reduce duplication, build on momentum, and attract more long-term investment.
“While we’re facing unprecedented levels of economic uncertainty due to tariffs and the ongoing trade dispute with the U.S., we need to focus on what’s within our control,” said Brad Parry, President and CEO of CED, and CEO of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF). “Now is the time to double down on innovation and continue building a resilient economy for Calgary.”
From innovation districts to connected nodes
Many cities have used innovation districts to support startup and research activity. These districts typically bring together universities, entrepreneurs, funders, and corporate partners in one physical area — a dense, walkable zone intended to encourage collaboration and economic development.
But CED says that model doesn’t fully align with Calgary’s geography or existing assets.
Instead, the city is adopting a distributed approach, building a network of interconnected “nodes” across Calgary. Each node is a concentration of sector-specific resources such as lab space, accelerators, post-secondary institutions, and capital. The nodes are designed to be part of a broader system rather than a standalone zone.
According to the strategy, “a node is not one building but a collection of resources, spaces and assets that together drive innovation. A node is connected to other Nodes across Calgary.”
The life sciences node offers a glimpse of how this model works. It includes the University of Calgary’s Life Sciences Innovation Hub, W21C, BiohubX, Alberta Precision Labs, and Creative Destruction Lab.
Funding sources tied to the node include Genome Alberta, Alberta Innovates, and NRC IRAP.
Institutions like SAIT, Mount Royal University, and Bow Valley College, while not embedded in any single node, are expected to contribute as city-wide supports.
Platform Calgary, which supports more than 850 startups and partners, will serve as the central on-ramp into this network. It will guide entrepreneurs to the programs, talent, and capital available within each node.
“Calgary is a resilient city where game-changers can turn big ideas into new solutions, and with Calgary’s Innovation Strategy, we’re taking a strategic step forward to enhance vibrancy and economic prosperity in our community,” said President and CEO of Platform Calgary, Terry Rock.
The strategy also introduces “innovation champions” — identified liaisons who will help people navigate the system and access the resources they need. These champions are part of a larger effort to improve coordination and remove barriers across the innovation landscape.
Building coordination through four goals
The innovation strategy isn’t focused on launching entirely new institutions or programs. Instead, it’s about making the most of what Calgary already has — and connecting those pieces in a way that’s easier to navigate, scale, and invest in.
CED has organized the work into four strategic goals.
The first goal is to formalize and strengthen sector-specific innovation nodes across the city. These nodes are already taking shape in areas like life sciences, aerospace, and clean energy — built around clusters of accelerators, academic partners, lab space, and funders. The strategy calls for a deliberate effort to identify the strongest opportunities, fill in missing pieces, and connect each node to the broader network. Once the first wave of nodes is established, the city will look to identify and support emerging sub-sectors that could become future strengths.
The second goal focuses on navigation. While Calgary has no shortage of startup programs, capital providers, or research centres, the path between them isn’t always obvious. To address this, the strategy introduces a formal innovation roadmap — a set of connections and tools to help startups move from early-stage to scale-up with fewer dead ends. It also includes the introduction of “innovation champions” — individuals or organizations who can help businesses understand the system and guide them to the right resources at the right time.
The third goal aims to enhance the overall impact of the innovation ecosystem by expanding the tools that support it. This includes a more coordinated intellectual property strategy to help homegrown innovation stay local, and expanding regulatory sandboxes that allow startups to test and prototype new technologies. The strategy also points to regional collaboration — particularly with neighbouring municipalities — as a way to scale opportunities and share infrastructure more effectively.
The final goal is about visibility. CED wants to strengthen the city’s reputation as a place where innovation happens — not just for local audiences, but for talent, investors, and entrepreneurs around the world. That means spotlighting success stories, aligning messaging with the city’s Blue Sky brand, and positioning Calgary as a destination for people and companies who want to build something new.
Each of these goals is connected. Nodes need clearer pathways. Champions need a roadmap. Investors need better access. And the ecosystem as a whole needs a story. The strategy argues that Calgary doesn’t have to build from scratch — it just has to build with more coordination.
Why the strategy matters now
Calgary’s innovation economy has expanded rapidly in recent years.
From 2018 to 2024, annual venture capital investment grew by 1,000%. The city’s tech ecosystem added $8.1 billion in value between July 2021 and December 2023 — an 83% increase, which outpaces the global average. CBRE named Calgary the fastest-growing tech talent hub in North America, and the University of Calgary has ranked first in Canada for startup creation three years in a row.
But CED says that kind of momentum can’t be sustained without more coordination. Fragmentation makes it harder for startups to scale, harder for talent to stay, and harder for investors to engage. By structuring the system and ensuring that nodes are connected and visible, the strategy aims to make the innovation economy easier to navigate and more efficient.
Three factors are identified as critical to success: unlocking capital for ecosystem partners, securing shared commitment from institutions and funders, and continued investment from the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund.
According to a press release, for every dollar committed by the OCIF, Calgary has generated $11 back in additional economic activity and spurred a projected total of $925 million in economic activity. OCIF has also created or retained nearly 3,000 jobs, helped create or scale nearly 900 companies and generated more than $925 million in economic activity.
Aligning with Calgary’s broader economic vision
The innovation strategy also aligns with other large-scale projects meant to improve the region’s economic stability and capacity for trade.
“The Prairie Economic Gateway stands as a testament to our efforts, as it will dramatically change how we move goods, increase the manufacturing sector and tax base for the region, and improve supply chains,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “This singular strategic initiative is poised to channel over $7 billion in investment and create 30,000 jobs, and we’re just getting started.”
The Prairie Economic Gateway is a regional initiative that ties Calgary’s innovation goals to physical infrastructure and trade. By investing in logistics corridors, transportation improvements, and industrial land development, the Gateway is intended to position Calgary as a more competitive inland hub for national and international trade. CED sees it as a critical complement to the innovation strategy — where physical supply chains and digital innovation can advance in tandem.
In this broader context, the innovation strategy is not a standalone vision but part of a coordinated effort to diversify Calgary’s economy. It builds on years of growth across the tech sector, life sciences, clean energy, and creative industries, while addressing gaps that have made the ecosystem harder to navigate.
The strategy doesn’t rely on one district or sector — it relies on a network. And by focusing on structure, visibility, and alignment, CED is betting that Calgary’s next phase of growth will come not just from new ideas, but from how well those ideas are supported, connected, and scaled.
