Welcome to this week’s Midweek Memo. In this issue, learn about how a local knowledge hub will advance clean energy across the country, celebrate milestones for Victoria’s tech companies, and find out which district just got a financial top-up.

-Allison, @allisongacad

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Clean energy transitions for small-to-mid-sized communities, led by UVic

How will Canadian communities transition away from fossil fuels and towards more sustainable sources of energy? It’s the million-dollar question — or perhaps the $83.6 million dollar question, to be precise.

The Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) initiative, spearheaded by UVic, just received $83.6 million in funding to scale clean energy transitions for small-to-mid-sized communities across the country. The project will focus on six research areas, including low-carbon and offshore renewable energy tech research, green hydrogen and e-fuels, as well as innovation in business and finance.

Although 99 percent of B.C.’s electricity comes from renewable sources, electricity only makes up a portion of the province’s total energy use, and 70 percent of the region’s power still relies on fossil fuels. Much of this fossil-fuel-driven consumption takes place in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

ACET hopes to take a “bottom-up” approach to community energy transitions, which centers place-based, local knowledge at the heart of solutions. While UVic is leading the project, there are over 40 community and industry partners currently involved. These include five First Nations, and local post-secondary institution partner Royal Roads University.

The funding comes from the federal government through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, as one of 11 large-scale research initiatives supported by nearly $1.4 billion across the country.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🌊 Making waves: MarineLabs has officially joined IALA, a non-profit international association that defines how marine aids to navigation are manufactured and operated around the world.

📸 Making memories: Nicole Smith, founder and CEO of Flytographer, shared the story of how the company came to be — 10 years, 350 cities, and millions of photos later.

🧪 Making moves: Xlynx Materials, a polymer and chemical technology company, won the 2023 Innovation Award at this year’s Adhesion and Sealants Council convention and exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana.

💰 Making money: The federal government invested $50,000 into the Corporation of the District of Saanich to develop an asset management strategy.

👩🏻‍💼Victoria tech moves

Major personnel changes, including promotions, hires, and departures:

• Audette hired Pallen Chu as Chief Commercial Officer.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Systems Software Programmer at Polaris Motion

• Back-End Developer at Momentum Dash

• Policy Analyst at BC Public Service

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know!

📅 Upcoming events

May 4: Life Sciences British Columbia Showcase Series: Vancouver Island

May 9: How to Present Virtually: An in-depth guide to presenting professionally on camera, every time

May 11: Secure Your Apps: A Cybersecurity Event by OWASP Victoria

May 13: In-Person Ladies Learning Code: Generative Art with JavaScript (18+)

May 29: PeopleOps Social

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.