Incubators

Incubators are a great idea in principle. What I see in Alberta, especially the ones funded and located in either a university or at the Banff New Media Centre is that they are usually populated by well meaning people from either the inside or because they meet some sort of bureaucratic set up of criteria. Most have no background in operating a business for profit, or are too tightly focused on their own area of interest or research, they tend not to see the forest for the trees.

The incubators we need to advocate for, should be accountable for their progress and business developed. It must be measurable.

Currently there are no measurement tools in place to find out what economic benefit is accruing back to Alberta and ultimately into the general revenue of the provincial and federal government's general revenue through taxes.

That is after all the end result all want to see happen. I for one, am not looking for a handout without the expected result of building a venture into a going concern where we can employ Alberta trained and educated high-technology people. As well as provide a diverse economy so that trades people can look at adapting their skills for the new economy.

A talented welder is always in demand. If they can be retrained for high end welding, and actually have a high-technology job to take that training to, we all win.

As well, if the provincial government is to fund them, they need to be located outside of the two large urban centres. Too often now, the funds put into innovations such as this, seem to flow into the larger centres leaving the smaller centres to live on the scraps, or trying to get the attention of the big city guys and girls.

You may find that there are three or four themes to my advocacy here. One is less thinking like the traditional halls of higher learning in the area of technology, more attention spent in spreading the benefits of the growth of clean technology based industry and jobs through out the province, more business like decisions made by all which does involve thinking like a marketing salesperson, and the combining with this incubator concept, the idea of including them in a tax free zone. This concept is based on the idea of all things related to a small business that is trying to create a new technology, new product or service using a technological process or product developed here in Alberta or Canada, would pay no taxes at any level until it is put into the marketplace, and then the profits are taxed at a fixed rate.

An example:
I want to develop a new robotic system to allow healthcare providers to deliver mundane goods and services throughout a hospital. The incubator in Rocky Mountain has buildings and land funded through a government program, and I set up shop there to develop this idea. I pay no business tax, no income tax, no GST, and no civic taxes. No import duties on any imported component as long as it does not make up more than 49% of the entire input in hardware to the project. Then I develop the product or service, and sell it. If I turn a profit, I pay 25% to 40% of it in taxes.
This would be designed with the smaller centres in mind, and would be designed for the small to medium sized businesses. The incubators would be directed with a combination of local people, professionally trained people, investors, and technocrats.
The purpose is develop marketable products and services, and have them developed in Alberta.

Marketing is probably one of the last things I find being considered when the government either funds or helps in someway in the technology industry.


Anyways, that is my theory on reality. For this small part of the world.