Pandemic-Driven Innovation

Organization Name: Mount Royal University
Community: Southern Alberta (City of Red Deer and south)
Funding Request: $14,000
Start Date: 2022-01-10
End Date: 2022-09-27

The Cause

Small businesses in Alberta have been impacted significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Very few industries have been able to maintain "business as usual"; for most, reoccurring public health measures and decreased consumer spending have meant a new, persistent normal that, while incredibly stressful and oftentimes overwhelming, has also led to meaningful innovation. This project aims to capture and celebrate Alberta's creativity - the ways that small businesses have pivoted how they operate, the products or services they provide, or how they've met challenges brought on by public health measures, not just to survive but to thrive since February 2020.

Through a combination of a local media review, short surveys, and one-on-one and small group interviews, we will collect stories of Alberta innovation in the face of COVID-19.

The results will be shared via an online platform and social media strategy aimed to celebrate and inspire Alberta's creativity and innovation.

Who Will it Benefit?

More than a celebration, this record will serve as a repository of ideas for the future - both during and outside of a crisis. It will serve current and future Alberta small business owners and those looking to support Alberta through investment or policy development.