September 5, 2023 · Sydney, Nova Scotia · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
Innovative clean tech companies operating out of the Verschuren Centre in Cape Breton are helping advance strong, sustainable solutions to the world's biggest environmental challenges. That is why the Government of Canada is committed to supporting clean technologies which help diversify economies, create jobs and shape a stronger future for Canadians.
Federal government supports Verschuren Centre, Cotex Technologies and Dispersa
Today, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA, announced contributions totalling $2 million to the Verschuren Centre, Cotex Technologies and Dispersa. Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-Canso, and Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Member of Parliament for Sydney-Victoria, also took part in the announcement.
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 ACOA's 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.
