- Clean energy technology competitions powered by CRIN
Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation

Watch the Reducing Environmental Footprint Technology Competition announcement
Accelerating clean energy innovation
About the competitions
Hydrocarbons will continue to be a vital part of the global energy mix for years to come. Canada is leading the world in the creation of cleantech solutions to address the environmental challenges of resource development, including net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. Like any ambitious goal, we will be successful through a combination of bigger leaps and smaller steps.
The challenges are significant, and the clock is ticking. We need diverse teams of innovators, producers, governments, investors and many others working together to accelerate many solutions through to commercialization and widespread adoption.
CRIN’s three Oil and Gas Technology Competitions provide up to $80 million in matching funds for late-stage breakthrough clean energy technology projects.
The competitions: Project profiles

Digital Oil & Gas Technology Competition
CRIN's Digital Oil & Gas Technology Competition identifies high-impact technology solutions that apply artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), robotics, digital twinning, large-scale data management and many other leading technologies to reduce environmental impact.
Competition focus areas include:
- Environmental monitoring
- Operational excellence and efficiency
- Capital project execution
- Health and safety

Low Emission Fuels and Products Technology Competition
CRIN's Low Emission Fuels and Products Technology Competition sources technologies that reduce the carbon intensity of the products and development processes from Canada’s oil and gas industry including transportation fuels and other hydrocarbon-derived products.
Competition focus areas include:
- Innovative products from hydrocarbons
- Carbon capture and utilization
- Hydrogen and geothermal
- Low-carbon intensity alternatives and new fuels

Reducing Environmental Footprint Technology Competition
CRIN's Reducing Environmental Footprint Technology Competition advances technology solutions for high-priority environmental challenges across the oil and gas industry with the intent to export technologies internationally and for application across Canada’s industrial sector.
Competition focus areas include:
- Methane emissions monitoring, quantification and abatement
- Water technology development
- Land and wellsite reclamation
- Novel hydrocarbon extraction
According to the 2017 Global Advantage Consulting Group research study, Canada’s hydrocarbon industry contributes almost 75% of all investment in cleantech development for the energy sector.
Partnerships between cleantech solution developers and oil and gas producers ensures ideas and investment are focused on priority challenges and reduces development time which will provide measurable progress toward Canada’s goals to create a sustainable energy system including net-zero emissions.
It's a team effort
Challenging goals like addressing climate change and other environmental impacts of energy production, require enormous team effort. This includes an energetic and determined network of cleantech innovators, industry operators, post-secondary institutions and private researchers, government, regulators, municipalities, and others.
Thank you to our partners for their support in accelerating innovation.
Competition Coordinators
Funding Partner

The Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation website is powered by the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN). CRIN is a pan-Canadian network focused on ensuring Canada’s hydrocarbon resources are sustainably developed and integrated into the global energy systems. CRIN, as a ‘network of networks,’ connects a vast array of skills, knowledge and experience from oil and gas and other industries to technology developers, researchers, government, investors, academia, entrepreneurs, youth and many other sectors. By identifying industry challenges, we create a market pull to accelerate commercialization and widespread clean technology adoption with environmental, economic and public benefits for Canada. CRIN is supported in part by a $100 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund.