Opening of the Collaborative Greenhouse Technology Centre in Niagara

Backgrounder

Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, along with Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, announced a non-repayable contribution of up to $5.76 million in the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre to fit up of the new Collaborative Greenhouse Technology Centre, a state-of-the-art facility, which brings together research institutions, business and academia to research, develop and commercialize new technology solutions in the robotics, automation and greenhouse industries. The announcement was made today, at the grand opening of the centre, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario.

Through this project, four innovative greenhouse technologies are being developed. They consist of: an automated vegetable packing system, an automated disease detection system, automated gripper tools to handle horticultural produce, and wireless temperature and moisture sensing systems for greenhouse production.

In addition, the project will bring to market three automated systems for greenhouse horticultural products. They consist of: an automated planting system, an automated potted plant packaging system, and an automated mushroom harvesting system.

The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is collaborating with 15 partners on this project, including government, academia, not-for-profit organizations and the private sector.

It is expected that this project will create up to 125 full-time jobs.

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre was established in 2007 to address the key issues impacting the horticultural industry, while contributing to the commercialization of new technologies. A not-for-profit organization, The centre helps bring together researchers and industry leaders, to form partnerships and develop innovative products and production solutions that will benefit the horticulture industry.

Previous FedDev Ontario Funding Received by the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
Program Project Description FedDev Ontario Contribution (up to) Anticipated Number of Jobs to be Created by Project
Prosperity Initiative (2012)

A non-repayable contribution of up to $2,500,000 was provided to support the development of robotic automation systems for use in greenhouses and nurseries.

Three of the automation systems developed from the 2012 contribution, will be commercialized using support from new FedDev Ontario funding.

$2,511,035

Total project cost: $5,022,071

11 full-time equivalent positions were created during project implementation.
Community Adjustment Fund (2010)

A non-repayable contribution of up to $1,062,000 was provided to support renovations to the Lodge Business Centre, a fire damaged historic lodge building that was converted into a business incubator.

The project was successfully completed and the business development centre now helps horticulture and agri-business companies bring new products to market. There are currently six tenants: Flowers Canada Growers, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, Hoogendoorn, Lincoln Archives, Twenty Valley Tourism Association and Wine Council of Ontario.

$1,062,000

Total project cost: $1,180,000

30 full-time equivalent positions were created during project implementation.

For more information, visit www.vinelandresearch.com.

FedDev Ontario's Investing in Commercialization Partnerships Initiative

The Investing in Commercialization Partnerships (ICP) initiative supports business-led partnerships with a focus on developing globally-competitive products and services, or innovation platforms that can demonstrate commercial value.

Post-secondary institutions and incorporated not-for-profit organizations, publicly-funded colleges and universities, research institutions, and industry associations located in southern Ontario are eligible to apply under this initiative for projects that are business-led and focus on new technologies or platforms with demonstrated commercial value.

For more information, visit the Investing in Commercialization Partnerships webpage.

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