BACKGROUNDER: Acadia University

Project Description

Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Acadia University

ACOA assistance: $2,993,531 (AIF Non-Repayable)

Total Project Costs: $4,174,248

· Acadia University in Wolfville, NS, has more than 3,000 full-time students and more than 500 employees. It is one of the largest organizations and employers in the Annapolis Valley region and is known internationally as a centre of research excellence. Acadia University conducted approximately $6 million in research last year, primarily in the areas of agriculture technology and agriculture food innovation, information and communication technologies and tidal energy.

· Dr. Kirk Hillier, a Professor of Biology at Acadia University with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of entomology and integrated pest management techniques, is an internationally recognized expert in the use of semiochemicals by insects. Semiochemicals, which are naturally produced by insects, include pheromones that allow the insects to communicate and are used to attract, repel or confuse the mating behaviour of the targeted insects.

· Forest Protection Ltd of Lincoln, NB, will lead the research into efficacy testing for aerial sprays using pheromones – naturally occurring compounds – to disrupt the mating behaviours of species such as the Eastern Spruce Budworm. Cyclical outbreaks every 30 to 40 years result in the loss of 44 million m³ of forest annually. There are currently outbreaks in Quebec and New Brunswick.

· Sylvar Technologies Inc., of Fredericton, NB, will commercialize lures and traps that use pheromones to attract insects such as the Spotted Wing Drosophila, an invasive global fruit crop pest, which causes $500 million in damage per year in North America.

· Natural Resources Canada is a key collaborator on this project, building on a strong partnership with Acadia University that was established in 2011. Researchers will investigate science-based solutions to insects impacting forestry, such as the beech leaf mining weevil, the brown spruce longhorn beetle and the emerald ash borer. The pest management tools being developed and commercialized through this partnership will be of significant benefit to monitoring programs in urban and provincial forestry, and enable earlier detection of these pests to minimize their impacts on Canada’s forests.

· This project builds on a very successful project completed in 2016. The first project, which received an Atlantic Innovation Fund contribution of $2,781,112, resulted in 18 scientific discoveries and the commercialization of 13 insect control products including traps, lures and mating disruption compounds. FPL and Sylvar were also involved in the first project. Dr. Hillier and his team will expand on products developed in the first phase and look at additional uses for the technology.

ACOA’s Innovation Programming

ACOA’s innovation programming, which includes the Atlantic Innovation Fund and the Business Development Program, responds to the evolving needs of Atlantic businesses and researchers. It is designed to help bring to market new products, technologies and services that will improve the competitiveness and productivity of the Atlantic economy. The programs also provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises across the region to acquire or adapt innovative technologies that can improve their productivity and competitiveness, while also enabling them to build the skills they need to innovate and compete in today’s global economy.