Ottawa earmarks $2M for bioproducts research, scale-up in Nova Scotia

Ottawa is contributing $2 million to the Verschuren Centre, Cotex Technologies and Dispersa to support bioproducts advancement in Nova Scotia.

The projects include an additional non-repayable investment of $1 million to the Verschuren Centre through the Canada Coal Transition Initiative (CCTI) – Infrastructure Fund, which will help the research centre expand its highly specialized industrial bioprocessing facility and increase its bioreactor capacity by fifteen times. The increased ability will help more clean tech companies develop new sustainable technologies, raise investment in the region, and create clean tech jobs. The funding announced today further supports Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) initial investment to the project in 2022.

Also announced were two repayable $500,000 contributions through ACOA’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) – Business Scale-up and Productivity program.

Cotex Technologies is preparing to begin production and field trials of its biodegradable polymer coating for controlled-release fertilizer in a 2,000-square foot facility in North Sydney. The building will house research and development units for commercial-scale coating and will have enough production capacity to serve markets in North America and Europe. The company’s innovative technology reduces greenhouse gases and pollution caused by conventional fertilizers and is formulated to deliver precise nutrients to specific crops.

Dispersa, a Montreal-based clean tech startup, is expanding to the Verschuren Centre to scale-up production of PuraSurf, its first biosurfactant product which will be made using microbes from food waste. The company intends to divert food waste and reduce pollution, as well as the reliance on fossil fuels, through the creation of biodegradable products that are economical and versatile for use across numerous industries.