20 March 2011
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Atlantic Canada will continue to grow as a leader in innovation, thanks to new investments from the federal government that help researchers and entrepreneurs move their cutting-edge research and development (R&D) from the lab to the marketplace. The announcement was made by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Nova Scotia, on behalf of the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, at Acadia University.
“Supporting Nova Scotia’s science and technology sectors is key to Canada’s future economic growth,” said Minister MacKay. “Our Government is committed to helping businesses and universities create and maintain research jobs and attract and retain world-leading research talent, which will lead to discoveries that improve our productivity, competitiveness and overall quality of life.”
In Nova Scotia, the Government of Canada is investing over $15 million in seven new research projects through the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF). These investments are part of more than $61 million being invested in Atlantic Canada in 26 innovative research and development projects.
“Our Government recognizes that innovation is vital to a dynamic modern economy,” added Minister Ashfield. “The AIF helps move the region’s cutting-edge R&D into the marketplace, boosts business productivity and bottom lines, increases exports, and creates good-paying jobs and overall economic growth. It’s about good science, smart business and a great investment in the future of Atlantic Canada. That is why this government under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the Atlantic Innovation Fund permanent with ongoing, fixed annual funding.”
“Federal funding is an important factor in the quality of research carried out at Acadia and other Atlantic universities,” added Minister MacKay. “This government is committed to expanding on Canadian excellence in research and development.”
“The Atlantic Innovation Fund has been invaluable in moving research out of the laboratory and into the marketplace,” said Bob Youden, a partner with Savarin Consulting, and First Vice-Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “The AIF is helping our businesses, including small and medium enterprises, to become more competitive and productive. By applying innovative ideas and approaches in developing new products, processes and services, businesses in Canada – and Atlantic Canada – will continue to grow their revenues and create skilled, well paying jobs.”
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The AIF plays an important role in enhancing Atlantic Canada’s ability to carry out leading-edge R&D and in bringing new knowledge, jobs and business opportunities to the region. The fund has been an important catalyst for many Atlantic Canadian businesses, universities and research institutions, creating close to 760 partnerships to help commercialize innovative ideas, products and services.
The six recipients selected for AIF funding in Nova Scotia include: Capital Health, Halifax (two projects); Immunovaccine Inc., Halifax; Dalhousie University, Halifax; Acadia University, Wolfville; Seaforth Energy Inc., Dartmouth; and B.W. BioEnergy Incorporated, Sydney. The projects will contribute to Nova Scotia’s long-term economic growth by further developing its life sciences, renewable energy, and agriculture and forestry sectors.
All projects are approved following a rigorous and independent merit-review process by the AIF Advisory Board, composed of experts from across Atlantic Canada with knowledge of R&D, and business and economic policy.
For a complete list of AIF-funded projects, visit www.acoa- apeca.gc.ca.
The deadline for eligible proponents to submit letters of intent and project proposals for the AIF’s next funding round in 2012 was also announced. Eligible proponents – which include private sector businesses, universities, colleges and other research organizations – are required to submit a mandatory letter of intent by May 4, 2011, followed by a complete project proposal by August 17, 2011. Detailed information is available on ACOA’s website: www.acoa-apeca.gc.ca.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay announced the federal government is investing $15.2 million to support seven Nova Scotia-based research and development (R&D) projects. The projects include new clinical tools for high- resolution imaging of the ear and the eye; the development of pheromones for the management of forestry and agriculture insect pests; the development of enhanced wind turbines for residential markets; the development of a vaccine delivery platform for certain cancers; the development of minimally invasive systems for bone augmentation; and the development of green energy fuels.
Minister MacKay said investments in innovation and R&D will help fuel Canada’s future economic growth, thereby creating jobs, increasing business productivity and competitiveness, and improving the overall quality of life of Atlantic Canadians.
In total, 26 R&D projects in Atlantic Canada will receive more than $61 million in AIF funding this year. The AIF is helping Atlantic Canadian researchers and entrepreneurs carry out leading-edge R&D, bringing new knowledge, jobs and business opportunities to the region.
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Photographs from the news conference and details on all new AIF projects, including the selected Nova Scotia-based projects, are available on ACOA’s website at: www.acoa- apeca.gc.ca.
INFORMATION:
Erin Filliter
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Keith Ashfield
613-995-2960
Alex Smith
Director, Communications and Outreach Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency
902-426-9417/902-830-3839 (cell)
Email: Alex.Smith@acoa-apeca.gc.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF)
• The Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) was launched in 2001 and is directed to raise the levels of R&D and innovation in Atlantic Canada.
• In Budget 2010, the Government of Canada provided permanent and on-going funding to the AIF.
• Since 2001, including this current round, the AIF has committed close to $709 million in assistance to 279 highly innovative R&D projects across Atlantic Canada, valued at over $1.5 billion.
• Under the current round of funding, 26 projects throughout Atlantic Canada will receive more than $61 million in AIF funding.
• As a result of AIF and private sector investments, R&D spending in Atlantic Canada rose by an annual average of 7.5 per cent between 2002 and 2007, exceeding the national increase of 4.4 per cent.
• Every AIF dollar invested has leveraged $1.15 in funding from other public and private-sector sources, for a total of more than $813 million.
• Between 2002 and 2011, the AIF supported the creation of close to 760 partnerships and collaborations between businesses, universities and other research organizations for technology development and commercialization.
• The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has stated that the AIF is a proven catalyst for encouraging partnerships among business and the research community.
• Between 2002 and 2007, the AIF enabled the creation of more than 1,250 full-time jobs for highly skilled innovators, researchers and scientists, as well as training opportunities for nearly 1,000 students in research organizations.
• Between 2002 and 2011, more than 250 technologies, products, processes and services developed through the AIF were successfully commercialized, resulting in just under $250 million in incremental sales. 2011 AIF Projects – Nova Scotia
Immunovaccine Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia Project: Development of DepoVax-based Cancer Immunotherapies Immunovaccine Inc. (TSX-V: IMV) is a Halifax-based biotechnology company focused on the development of human health vaccines. The company employs 22 people at its headquarters, and has been named one of Canada’s Top 10 Life Sciences Companies. Immunovaccine Inc. is currently developing two therapeutic cancer vaccines to be delivered using its vaccine delivery platform, DepoVaxTM. The proposed project will allow the company to develop diagnostic tools to identify a cancer patient population to receive the vaccines, build disease models, and measure treatment outcomes. This project, with total estimated costs of $4.9 million, will receive approximately $2.9 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a 3-year period.
Contact Information: Dr. Randal Chase, President & CEO, Immunovaccine Inc. (TSX-V: IMV), 1819 Granville Street, Suite 303, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 902-492-1819, Email: rchase@imvaccine.com
Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia Project: Development of Pheromones for Management of Insect Pests Acadia University in Wolfville is one of the largest organizations and employers in the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia with over 3,000 full time students and more than 500 employees. It is known internationally as a centre for research excellence with a strong program at the Masters level in a number of disciplines including Biology. This AIF project is focused on the development, testing and commercialization of effective and environmentally- responsible pheromone-based products targeting forestry and agriculture insect pests such as the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle and Spruce Budworm. This project, with total estimated costs of $6.9 million, will receive approximately $2.8 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a 5- year period.
Contact Information: Dr. Kirk Hillier, Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia 902-585-1314, Email: kirk.hillier@acadiau.ca
Capital Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia (2 projects) Projects: New Clinical Tools for High-Resolution Imaging of the Ear and the Eye Capital Health provides core health services to about 40 per cent of Nova Scotia’s population and tertiary care services to the residents of Atlantic Canada. Two AIF projects will focus on the development of new high- resolution diagnostic imaging devices to improve the understanding of, the diagnosis, and treatment of hearing disorders and conduct research into imaging neurons in the retina. One imaging device will replace conventional tests such as MRI and CT Scans. The other would improve the way ophthalmologists assess and treat major eye diseases. These projects, with total estimated costs of $6.4 million, will receive approximately $4.2 million from the Atlantic Innovation fund over a 5-year period.
Contract Information: (Imaging of the Ear) Dr. Jeremy Brown, Principal Investigator, Capital Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 902-473-1515, Email: J.Brown@Dal.ca
(Imaging of the Eye) Dr. Balwantray Chauhan, Professor, Research Director and Chair in Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, 902-473-3202, Email:bal@dal.ca
Seaforth Energy Inc., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Project: New Wind Turbine Development Seaforth Energy Inc. of Dartmouth is a wind turbine manufacturer and renewable energy systems integrator serving commercial, industrial, off-grid and agricultural clients. It manufactures a turbine which has the world’s largest installed base and most operating hours in its 50kW size class. This AIF project involves the development of new and enhanced turbines. These turbines would provide greater output in lower wind speed environments and provide global leading cost per kWh metrics. The existing AOC turbine will be redesigned to improve performance, output and reliability. This project, with total estimated costs of $2.9 million, will receive approximately $1.9 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a 3-year period.
Contact Information: Jonathan Barry, President, Seaforth Energy Inc., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 902-406-4400, Email: jbarry@seaforthenergy.com
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia Project: Minimally Invasive Systems for Bone Augmentation Dalhousie University in Halifax and its affiliated hospitals make up the largest, most comprehensive, research- intensive, academic organization in Atlantic Canada. It is one of the largest employers in Halifax with 1,100 full- time faculty and more than 1,400 full-time staff. This AIF project team of biomaterials researchers and clinicians will develop minimally invasive systems for bone augmentation through the development of new biomaterials. Combined with new surgical devices and protocols, these procedures will lead to reduced recovery times and risk of infection. This project, with estimated costs of $2.5 million, will receive approximately $1.7 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a 5-year period.
Contact Information: Dr. Daniel Boyd, Assistant Professor Department of Applied Oral Sciences, Biomaterials and Oral Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 902- 494 6347, Email: d.boyd@dal.ca
B.W. Bioenergy Incorporated, Sydney, Nova Scotia Project: Development of Green Carbons B.W. Bioenergy Incorporated is a newly-established company located in Sydney that is focused on the advancement of sustainable energy technologies and environmental management. The AIF project proposes the development, evaluation and commercialization of green energy fuels. The company plans to design, construct, commission and test a pilot torrefaction plus carbon activation process for the manufacture of activated carbon and torrefied wood fuels from waste renewable resources including forestry and lumber industry residues, municipal woody waste and organic waste materials. During torrefaction the biomass properties are changed to obtain a much better fuel quality for combustion and gasification applications. The main objective of the company’s research program is to develop cost-effective, integrated supply chain approaches from biomass collection to production. The prototype development of a production technology will also be a key part of the project. This project, with total estimated costs of $2.3 million, will receive approximately $1.7 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a 3-year period.
Contact Information: Barrie Fiolek, President, B.W. Bioenergy Incorporated, Sydney, Nova Scotia, 902-578-0180, Email: Barrie.Fiolek@gmail.com
