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By Josh Hall

P2INACLE

RDP and five other institutions digging deep on mining innovation

Apr 1, 2026 | 2:10 PM

Six post-secondary institutions on the Prairies, including Red Deer Polytechnic, will continue to collaborate on fast-tracking mining innovation.

The Prairie Polytechnic Innovation Network Accelerating Commercialization for Local Ecosystems, known as P2INACLE, brings together Saskatchewan Polytechnic, NAIT, Northwestern Polytechnic, Red Deer Polytechnic, Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) and SAIT to advance applied research and strengthen Canada’s global competitiveness, according to a media release.

The group launched in January 2025.

Most recently, P2INACLE has been working on an initiative called Innovation Sprints, which has resulted in four projects focused on mining innovation.

According to a release, these will deliver actionable insights on industry challenges identified by International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII), provide foundational research to guide future initiatives, and strengthen collaboration across participating polytechnics by mapping shared expertise and facilities.

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Each project ran from January to March 31, 2026, with up to $25,000 in funding available with support from IMII, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) and the lead polytechnic, Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

“The P2INACLE Network highlights the collective strength of prairie polytechnics in fueling Canada’s innovation ecosystem,” says Dr. Tonya Wolfe, associate vice president of applied research at Red Deer Polytechnic.

“Through these collaborative sprints, we are providing the mining industry with the technical insights needed to modernize operations and adopt next-generation technologies. Red Deer Polytechnic is proud to contribute our expertise in advanced manufacturing and materials science to develop high-performance solutions that drive productivity and long-term resilience across the sector.”

Dr. Wolfe is one of the researchers on a project between RDP and RRC.

Along with Debyoti Sen and Dr. Kyle Nicholson from Red Deer Polytechnic, and in collaboration with Dr. Baltej Rupal from RRC, they are exploring how advanced manufacturing technologies, including cold spray, additive manufacturing and advanced welding, could enhance efficiency and performance in mining operations.

They explain that this project will inform potential mining applications for advanced manufacturing opportunities by exploring market factors influencing adoption, their use in other sectors, knowledge gaps requiring applied research, cross-sector opportunities, and underutilized capabilities in the prairie provinces.

Learn more about P2INACLE here.