The Lab is a coalition of diverse innovators and leading organizations working together to accelerate the transition to the energy system the future requires of us.

As a trusted convener, connector, and catalyzer of innovative energy system initiatives and solutions, our platform supports change-makers as they collaboratively explore innovation pathways for our energy future.

Since its public launch in 2015, the EFL has established itself as a trusted forum for building leadership capacity, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration, stimulating new narratives, and supporting early-stage development of new initiatives and innovative solutions.

We aim to inspire alignment and connectivity across sectors, while bridging ideas, people, and resources in a way that helps refine and develop solutions for our energy future.

EFL Fellows have an interest in influencing and advancing net-zero pathways and with a commitment to continue to shape the energy transition by engaging in systems-sensing and sense-making activities. These efforts serve to identify emerging opportunities, risks, challenges, and tensions from different lenses, priorities and roles within the energy system. Although Fellows come with diverse backgrounds and areas of influence, they share a common passion for taking initiative and driving actions that align with the EFL vision for transforming the energy system.

A key aspect of participating in the Fellowship is to enhance personal learning and experience, fostering a deeper understanding and collaboration with Indigenous peoples and perspectives within the energy sector. Over time, Fellows become part of a respected and committed network of leaders, gaining opportunities to further develop their leadership skills and collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

The role and responsibilities of a Fellow are further detailed in the Information Package (opens in new tab).

Most Fellows are based in Alberta, with some participating from other areas of Canada.

While the Fellowship is open to participants outside of Alberta, occasional travel to Alberta for in-person workshops is required, and costs must be covered by Fellows (unless the Fellow qualifies for bursaries, whose availability is limited.)

The 2025-2026 Fellowship will last two years, starting in January 2025 and running until December 2026. After this term, Fellows will be given the option to reapply.

We have regularly heard from Fellows that a two year time frame is the minimum amount of time required to get oriented to the EFL’s processes and programs, make valuable connections to other participants, and see the impact of projects they’re involved with. Additionally, with the Lab’s work now honing in on select challenges over a longer period, a Fellowship commitment of two years enables Fellows to stay connected to Lab initiatives for a more substantial portion of longer project arcs.

Lab initiatives are a limited set of critical challenges around which the EFL mobilizes its resources and community in order to make progress towards its vision (opens in new tab). They are designed to accelerate progress in resolving major challenges in the energy system that:

• need to be addressed to achieve our vision and mission, and are not being addressed sufficiently by others.

• respond to the urgency and scale of Canada’s response to energy transition.

• require collaborative social innovation to generate long-lasting solutions.

• can be addressed using the EFL’s resources, networks and skills.

• stand to benefit people across Canada, if addressed properly.

A social innovation is any initiative that challenges and, over time, contributes to changing the defining routines, resource and authority flows or beliefs of the broader social system in which it is introduced. (Frances Westley, 2014)

In the energy transition space, social innovation involves looking at our energy system holistically to enable, shift, or encourage new ideas, policies and practices conducive to energy system transformation. Social innovations are often thought of as “beyond technology”, under the observation that a needed technological innovation will not succeed if it is embedded in social systems that are working against its widespread adoption.

In the EFL, examples of social innovations include new policies, new collaborations, new narratives, new platforms, new programs, new processes, and / or new business models.

The questions and additional requirements for a complete Fellow application are outlined in the 2025-2026 Fellowship Criteria. (opens in new tab)

In order to become fully oriented to the EFL, its activities, and its social innovation concepts, new Fellows are required to attend all Fellowship Workshops. The EFL team has confirmed the following events and workshops:

Applications will be reviewed by the EFL support team, with input from the Partners Council. Selection of Fellows is based on the merit of each potential applicant as compared to the selection criteria, while ensuring that the EFL as a whole reflects a broad diversity of actors and voices representing Alberta’s energy system.

Once the 2025-2026 Fellowship has been finalized, all applicants will be notified in January 2025.

Experience has demonstrated that organizational support and endorsement from senior leadership is an essential component for participants’ success in the EFL. Organizational endorsement supports each Fellow to be an active and engaged participant and to get the most out of their time within the Fellowship.

The EFL Fellowship incorporates concepts of social innovation, collaboration, and systems change, which requires Fellows to immerse themselves in EFL learning experiences, including exploring systems change and sustainability frameworks, relevant collaborative projects, and occasionally bridging these learnings or initiatives back to their respective organizations.

In order to support applicants making the case for Fellowship participation to their organization or company, below are a few tips and talking points, which can be customized to reflect the organization’s specific needs, culture, and objectives:

• Fellows support their respective organizations by gaining strategic intelligence and insights about the energy space from peers and system-sensing research;

• Fellows are able to bring both personal and organizational goals to the Lab. Through the Lab, individuals can participate in the EFL as a way to address an organizational challenge or seize an opportunity that cannot be achieved alone;

• Fellows are able to build on existing EFL Innovation Challenges or may explore the possibility of creating a new initiative that aligns with the EFL vision and organizational goals;

• Fellows can expand their personal and organizational network through the Lab and build a strategic and systems-level understanding of the energy system, its players and interrelationships.

Letters of support can come from any individual at the Executive level of an organization. If you do not have peers at the Executive level, please have another member of the organization submit a statement on behalf of the organization reinforcing your understanding of and commitment to the purpose and objectives of being a Fellow.

The EFL’s social contract is a document we require Fellows to sign, agreeing to the intentions and ground rules we’ve set for co-creating and innovating together. By signing this contract, Fellows agree to practice and uphold the commitments, values and principles the EFL community stands for. They help to maintain the boundaries of safer and accountable spaces that we collectively and purposefully create to contain the tough conversations and tensions inherent in our field of investigation. By doing this, we enable all participants to contribute their fullest, and further accelerate progress towards the energy system the future requires of us.

We require an annual financial contribution of $3,250 from each Fellow, however, we have implemented a tiered fee structure based on the financial accessibility of each Fellow’s organization.

Further to that, the Energy Futures Lab takes an equitable approach to best support our Fellowship and is open to navigating mutually beneficial arrangements to support the removal of significant barriers, as appropriate.

Annual Commitment Fee Tiers:

• Corporate / Large Organization: $3,250/yr

• SME / Municipal Government / Academia: $1,650/yr

• Entrepreneur / Individual: $550/yr

• Non-profit / Indigenous: Bursary provided to cover full fee

The Energy Futures Lab Fellowship forms the nucleus of the Lab, comprising change-makers, innovators and influencers from industry, government, non-profit organizations, First Nations, academia and community interest groups. Fellows are selected based on merit as compared to the selection criteria, as well as in consideration with the overall diversity of the group and its ability to tangibly influence the energy system. The Fellowship is intended to reflect a broad diversity of actors and perspectives that play a vital role in shaping our shared future energy system.