Province Invests in Agri-Food Innovation

The Province is helping biotechnology incubator the Verschuren Centre increase capacity at its Cape Breton fermentation plant to support more clients, advance automation and create more skilled jobs.

The funding will position Nova Scotia for more national and international investment in this important sector.

“This is another great achievement for Cape Breton and for the team at the Verschuren Centre. This project will be a Nova Scotia first – as the largest and only provider of precision fermentation of this scale and complexity in Canada,” said Glace Bay-Dominion MLA John White, on behalf of Growth and Development Minister Colton LeBlanc. “Products manufactured here in Sydney will increase productivity for the biomanufacturing sector and meet a key supply chain sustainability goal for Canadian and Nova Scotian manufacturing companies.”

The $1,055,000 investment will allow the Verschuren Centre to increase the number of clients it serves at any given time to 50 from 40. It will also be able to service more advanced projects, thereby increasing employment and direct investment in these companies.

The centre will also create an in-house training program delivered in collaboration with the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick community colleges, helping to meet demands for electronics, digitization, process engineering and fermentation technicians as the sector continues to grow.

It received funding from the Province’s Community Economic Development Fund, which helps sectors and communities increase economic competitiveness and productivity.

Quotes:

“With continued support from the Province, the Verschuren Centre is able to address the demand for sustainable products in the supply chain for Canadian manufacturing by matching assets only available in Europe and Mexico.”
— Beth Mason, Executive Chair, Verschuren Centre

Quick Facts:

• the Province contributed $2.5 million toward the development of the Verschuren Centre demonstration plant in 2022
• biomanufacturing is the process of using living systems, including plant and animal cells, to produce commercial materials; the Verschuren Centre is already home to a pilot scale bioreactor – one of only three in Canada

Additional Resources:

Community Economic Development Fund: https://beta.novascotia.ca/apply-project-funding-community-economic-development-fund

Provincial programs for businesses: https://www.novascotia.ca/grow-your-business/

Nova Scotia Loyal: https://nsloyal.ca/

Invest Nova Scotia: https://investnovascotia.ca/

Nova Scotia’s business navigator service: https://www.novascotia.ca/regulatoryopportunity/business-navigators.asp

Verschuren Centre: https://www.verschurencentre.ca/