Building Alberta’s Innovation Future: Collaboration, Clarity, and Community

Innovation doesn’t happen in silos—it’s sparked when we build, think, and create together. That’s not a tagline; it’s a mindset. And during Calgary Innovation Week, Interac and TKS put that mindset into action.

We began with a bold question: 

‍How can Alberta accelerate its innovation journey? The answer wasn’t about doing everything—it was about doing the right things, together.”

Alberta has a proud identity as a builder. But building the future requires more than ambition; it requires clarity. When every player understands their unique role—their superpower—the ecosystem moves from conversation to impact.

Key Takeaways from Our Ideation Sprint

• Solve aligned challenges collectively. 

Innovation scales when we focus on shared priorities and tackle them as a team.

• Raise diverse voices.

Youth perspectives aren’t just inspiring—they’re essential. Platforms that amplify these voices strengthen the ecosystem.

• Define roles and superpowers. 

Alignment isn’t uniformity; it’s clarity. Each organization brings something distinct (a superpower of their own). Knowing where supports start and stop ensures collaboration without duplication.

And perhaps most importantly: bring the ecosystem along for the journey. 

Sometimes the process matters as much as the outcome. When we peel back the curtain—sharing how ideas evolve—support deepens, and solutions stick.

Because innovation isn’t a solo act. It’s a shared performance where every player knows their part—and plays it well.

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Engagement Highlights from Calgary Innovation Week

1. Reimagining Alberta’s Future

We kicked things off with a two‑day Ideation Workshop alongside TKS. The goal? Reimagining Alberta as Canada’s next innovation superpower, with participation from Calgary’s innovation ecosystem, academia, youth innovators, industry leaders, and community builders. 

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2. Amplifying Next-Gen Voices

We took the findings from our workshop straight to the main stage. Through a Showcase and Panel Discussion, we shared workshop findings at Calgary Innovation Week and amplified bold perspectives from next‑gen leaders. 

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Beyond the Conversation: Building a Stronger Ecosystem

For Interac and TKS, Calgary Innovation Week created the conditions for this sprint to be more than a great conversation—it made it a building block for the broader ecosystem. Powered by Platform Calgary and the Calgary tech ecosystem, the week is designed to convene unlikely collaborators, turn ideas into shared language, and help the ecosystem move with more alignment and less duplication.  

Strengthening the Connective Tissue: Youth, Academia, and Industry

By bringing youth innovators together with founders, industry leaders, academia, and community builders, we contributed to one of Platform Calgary’s core goals for the city: strengthening the connective tissue that helps innovation travel faster—between sectors, between generations, and from insight to action.

Collapsing Silos to Accelerate Real-World Outcomes

This kind of work also supports Calgary’s longer-term ambition—not just to generate ideas, but to increase the rate at which those ideas become partnerships, products, and real-world outcomes. 

The Goal? Alignment, Not Duplication

By surfacing aligned challenges, elevating next-gen perspectives, and clarifying where each organization’s “superpower” fits, our sprint contributed to what Calgary Innovation Week is ultimately for: accelerating collaboration the ecosystem can actually act on.

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About Interac

Interac empowers Canadians to transact digitally with confidence by providing payment and value exchange services. In helping to develop the future of money movement in Canada, security is at the core of everything we do. We help keep Canadian customers safe and secure when transacting. With nearly 300 financial institutions connected to our network, Canadians choose Interac products over 20 million times a day on average to exchange money. Interac champions workplace culture, community, and corporate citizenship. We are proud to be one of Canada’s leading and most trusted financial brands.

About TKS

The Knowledge Society (TKS) is a global innovation program that develops the next generation of scientists, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers aged 13–17. Through hands-on projects, mentorship from industry leaders, and deep dives into emerging technologies: everything from artificial intelligence, biotechnology to climate and advanced energy, TKS equips young people with the skills and mindset to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. With 5000+ alumni and students in over 200 cities worldwide, TKS empowers youth to build real solutions, collaborate across industries, and contribute meaningfully to the future of innovation.

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