Springboard's Greatest Hits by Springboard Atlantic

Springboard’s Greatest Hits

Message from the Springboard CEO Celebrating 20 years of research commercialization in Atlantic Canada

Welcome to "Springboard Greatest Hits," celebrating 20 years of research commercialization and industry engagement in Atlantic Canada.

This collection showcases some of our more impactful success stories, highlighting the contributions of the 19 post-secondary institutions in the Springboard Network.

We extend our gratitude to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) for its unwavering support, including the recent $9.8 million funding announcement.

Together, the Springboard Network and ACOA have strengthened the economy and improved lives in our region.

-DarylGenge,PresidentandCEO

FluxLab taking research to frontlines of climate change

To know a problem, you must measure it. And if that problem is climate change, it had better be measured accurately.

St. Francis Xavier University (St.FX) professor and start-up entrepreneur Dr. David Risk is on the frontlines of greenhouse gases with FluxLab.

FluxLab - the largest gas emissions research centre in Canada - is changing our understanding and management of climate change by detecting, measuring and mapping air pollution and greenhouse gases.

One of the Lab’s spinoff companies Eosense Inc. deploys specialized equipment and personnel to locations worldwide to measure greenhouse gases.

Much of the work focuses on landfill sites where methane emissions are measured.

Early in my career as a research scientist, Springboard funding provided an opportunity to enhance the commercial viability of my lab’s research, and now my group currently holds four patents, and I have co-founded two successful spin off companies, Eosense Inc. and Arolytics Inc, which are both based in Nova Scotia.

Dr. David Risk, Brian Mulroney Institute of Government

Research Chair in Climate Science and Policy St.FX

See video on Eosense

They have also travelled to the north to record emissions of climate change-causing gases from melting permafrost plains.

Another spinoff is Arolytics Inc. which is a platform that helps companies manage emissions data.

See video on Arolytics

Together these spinoffs employ more than 50 highly qualified scientists and employees.

FluxLab and its companies have partnered with government, universities across Canada and industry to complete environmental projects. Read more

Adaptiiv exports precision medical technology to the world

Research by a Dalhousie University medical physicist is making radiation treatment more precise and humane for patients worldwide.

Dr. James Robar co-founded Adaptiiv Medical Technologies, a company that 3D prints a body cover - also called a bolus.

This device protects the healthy tissues of patients receiving radiation.

The technology improves the patient experience during radiation treatment by scanning the surface of the patient’s body and producing an algorithm to print a device customized to the dimensions of the patient’s body surface.

The Dalhousie Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement supported the earliest stages of Adaptiiv’s growth through IP analysis, technology patenting, and the Springboard Innovation Mobilization program.

Springboard is the only one that combined proof of concept and patent and legal with industry engagement. It’s like they considered the whole lifecycle from ideation to commercialization. They guided the research through the whole process.

Dr. James Robar, Co-founder Adaptiiv, Dalhousie, Professor & Chief of Medical Physics

See video on Adaptiiv 3D bolus

Headquartered in Halifax, the company employs a workforce of 30 highly specialized employees.

Its technology and devices are used in 18 countries

Adaptiiv and Robar have also developed partnerships with 3-D

Partnerships have also been formed with medical technology companies such as Varian which has introduced to Nova Scotia the Ethos radiotherapy HyperSight system.

This technology targets tumours while protecting surrounding organs from damage. Read more

printing giant HP.

Kognitiv Spark: global leaders in spatial computing

Fredericton-based company Kognitiv Spark is collapsing time and space with a spatial computing technology known as mixed reality.

RemoteSpark is the product that combines physical and digital worlds to create 2D and 3D images.

This technology allows workers to access the support they need to be coached through tasks remotely. Used in manufacturing, construction, energy, and aerospace, RemoteSpark is a tool for training and up-skilling workers in the field.

Mixed reality technology is also improving the lives of Canadians by delivering remote healthcare services.

A patient can receive remote instructions for rehabilitation exercises at home. The technology can even create the illusion of a physiotherapist in the room with the patient.

The partnership with UNB and SPECTRAL is not just a benefit for Kognitiv Spark. The capabilities ... are critical for the development of long-term impact from the technology we can commercialize in a global market. What is truly exciting is the way in which we are partnered to address fundamental issues in society, including support to rural and disadvantaged communities, regardless of location.

Duncan McSporran, Chief Operations Officer and VP Defence & Public Sector, Kognitiv Spark

See RemoteSpark in action

The technology that powers RemoteSpark was developed with the University of New Brunswick, Spatial Computing Education, Training & Research Laboratory (SPECTRAL) under UNB professor Dr. Scott Bateman.

SPECTRAL grew out of expertise in human-computer interaction at UNB. It specifically focuses on spatial computing – an umbrella term that includes virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality. Kognitiv Spark shows how partnerships between academia, industry and government drives business growth, fosters innovation, and helps Canadian companies compete globally. Read more

McCain Research Chair at Dal shaping future of farming

Artificial Intelligence to make French fries? Drone tractors? Remote sensors to plant and harvest potatoes?

It may sound like science fiction, but these are some of the things happening in modern agriculture, thanks to a research partnership between McCain Foods, Potatoes New Brunswick and Dalhousie University.

The McCain Research Chair was established at the Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture to improve sustainable agricultural practices and food security in Atlantic Canada.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Mallahi, an expert in agricultural engineering and sensing technologies, is the McCain Research Chair and Assistant Professor in the Dal Department of Engineering.

His research is using smarter machines with sensor technology to improve sustainability and assist farmers in planting, harvesting, and

McCain Foods and the McCain Foundation are committed to giving back to our community and creating programs that can help sustainable farming practices here and around the world.

We’re delighted to support these bright researchers as well as those who will follow in the next five years, and we eagerly anticipate the important work they will do. It will be very exciting to see the fruits this partnership with Dalhousie will yield.

Dr. Yves Leclerc, Director of Agronomy, North America, McCain Foods

cultivating crops. His work is also designed to improve the efficiency of food production, reduce waste and build resilience in agriculture.

Since the Research Chair was established, researchers have created three projects that have resulted in prototypes that were deployed in the field and demonstrated to key stakeholders.

The partnership has been so successful that McCain Foods and Potatoes New Brunswick renewed support for through to 2029.

The McCain Foundation also contributed a $1.5 million gift to fund 12+ postdoctoral fellowships to strengthen sustainable agricultural research.

DeepSense putting ocean data to work for businesses

Monitoring fish activity around industrial facilities to ensure their health and safety is a major challenge.

Current practices consist of labour-intensive, timeconsuming, and error-prone processes of manually counting and identifying fish onsite or in video footage

A technology developed by Innovasea in partnership with DeepSense, Dalhousie’s Ocean AI & data innovation program, helps hydro dam operators solve the problem by autonomously counting and identifying the fish with underwater cameras, sonar imaging and artificial intelligence.

Deepsense data scientists worked with Innovasea, a world leader in acoustic telemetry for fish tracking research, to develop an AI-powered solution that captures data on fish moving around hydro dam facilities.

Operating as a facilitator for AI and machine learning in the ocean economy, DeepSense connects academia, government and industry in new and exciting ways. Almost everyone now knows how important these technologies are for our future, but a lot of businesses have trouble accessing the right expertise. DeepSense’s unique model cracks the code and connects the dots with real results.

Iaian Archibald, Executive Director, DeepSense

See video on HydroAI monitoring fish

The solution, HydroAI, combines high-resolution video cameras with AI-powered, cloud-based software to automatically provide accurate real-time fish counts and species identification in and around hydro-power plants.

The data is delivered to the cloud in real-time to facilitate data sharing and transparency between hydro dam operations and regulatory authorities. DeepSense is supported with $12.6 million from by industry partner IBM Canada It is also supported by COVE, ACOA, OFI and the Province of Nova Scotia. Read more

Flaxmobile is on the road to revive sustainable textiles industry

A professor at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) has converted a cargo van into a Flaxmobile and is travelling around Nova Scotia on a quest to revitalize the flax fibre industry in Atlantic Canada.

Jennifer Green, Associate Professor of Craft, is collaborating with farmers, crafts people, fibre mills, industry, consumers and other researchers to promote sustainable agriculture and help the agri-food sector transition to net-zero.

In August 2024, Prof Green received a four-year $3.2 million grant from the NSERCSustainable Agriculture Research Initiative (SARI) to support the project entitled: Flax Fibre to Fabric: An Innovative Transition Design Framework for Sustainable Agriculture ValueChains

The grant builds upon a pilot project launched in 2022 to teach local fibre processors how to grow and process flax to produce linen textiles. Since then, the Flax

Jennifer Green’s Flaxmobile project is an inspiring example of how makers in the cultural sector can work with growers in the agricultural sector to build a sustainable ecosystem within the Nova Scotian economy.

Dr. Peggy Shannon, President, NSCAD University

Fibre to Fabric project has blossomed into a collaboration of fourteen researchers from five universities including NSCAD, Acadia University, Dalhousie University, the University of Prince Edward Island, and the University of Waterloo.

The project is also working with eight industry partners to reduce the reliance on unsustainable textiles and promote local rural economic development.

“Now we have a large crossdisciplinary team of researchers working towards this goal,” said Green. “Together, we will define the methods, processes and infrastructure to prepare Atlantic Canadian communities to adapt to the effects of climate change

We will connect farmers, fibre mills, craftspeople, and consumers to promote the growth of sustainable textile supply chains.” Read more

Virtual Marine makes water-based industries safer

Virtual Marine Technology is making marine environments around the world safer places to work with state-of-the-art simulation technologies and lifeboat training programs.

Virtual Marine emerged from research conducted at Memorial University and the National Research Council and was founded in 2004 in St. John’s NL.

Since then, the company has grown to become a global leader in simulation training for the marine industry It engages with academic researchers to advance maritime safety in harsh marine environments.

Their simulators mimic real-life situations and provide trainees with hands-on experience in a safe and controlled environment. One of Virtual Marine's flagship products is the Offshore Lifeboat Simulator, which simulates the launch

The Genesis Centre helped prepare VMT for investment and introduced the Company to its initial investors. Investment in VMT enabled us to attract a strong, and experienced, leadership team to propel the company forward. Securing investment is just one example of how the credibility of being a Genesis Centre client helped VMT.

Captain Anthony Patterson, President and CEO

Virtual Marine

See Virtual Marine Simulator in action and operation of lifeboats used in offshore oil and gas operations. This simulator allows crews to practice emergency procedures and evacuation drills without the risks associated with real-life training exercises Getting its start with the assistance of the Genesis Centre

at Memorial University, Virtual Marine spent three years with the Centre where company personnel received business support and mentoring in an entrepreneurial environment.

Virtual Marine was a driving force behind the Innovation Centre for Remote Operations which was launched in St. John’s in 2022.

BioVectra: an anchor in PEI bio-tech sector

BIOVECTRA, a contract development manufacturing organization which counts 19 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies among its clients, is now a leader in the bioscience cluster both in the region and in Canada.

It supports the development and GMP manufacturing of both drug and drug products, including its latest foray into mRNA and pDNA based vaccines and therapeutics – considered by the industry to promise the next generation of patient care used in the pharmaceutical industry

BIOVECTRA employs more than 650 skilled workers in seven specialized laboratory and GMP manufacturing facilities in Atlantic Canada.

Headquartered in Charlottetown, BIOVECTRA is a success story in the burgeoning PEI biotechnology sector. In November 2023, the company expanded its capabilities into mRNA/ pDNA vaccines and

Projects like these highlight the importance of academic-industry partnerships in driving R&D and showcase how combined resources and expertise can lead to significant advancements and real-world solutions. For UPEI students, these projects gave them valuable experience working in a lab and provided them with publishable research, and transferable skills in the biotech sector.

Marc Richard, PhD., Business Development Officer, OCII, UPEI

therapeutics with a $90-million investment which included a biomanufacturing facility in Charlottetown, specialized laboratories in Dartmouth, and enhanced single-use fermentation suite in Windsor, Nova Scotia.

A $200K Innovation PEIsupported Mitacs grant supported internships for four graduate students to gain onthe-job experience working on

projects in the labs of UPEI and BIOVECTRA.

In July 2024, BIOVECTRA Inc. and Agilent Technologies, announced the signing of an agreement for Agilent to acquire BIOVECTRA, a Canadian-based Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, from H.I.G. Capital for $925 million.

CNA Hyperspectral technology promotes sustainable mining

College of the North Atlantic (CNA) has a longstanding partnership with the mining industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. Together they are creating a greener industry that is costeffective and sustainable.

A key technology advancing this is the Hyperspectral Scanning Unit (HSU)

This imaging technology offers world-class high-resolution imaging that helps companies understand the geology and mineral deposits at drilling sites, minimizing environmental impacts of mining operations.

CNA's HSU is renowned for conducting the largest public geoscience hyperspectral imaging initiative in the Western Hemisphere, scanning over 310 kilometers of drill core

This technology is additionally unique because it is mobile and can be transported to mining

Excellent data... we have identified a number of areas for additional sampling and greatly appreciate all the hard work by the CNA team on this massive undertaking. This has made it very easy to quickly review core that would otherwise be inaccessible and pick-up on the spectral signature of the alteration patterns that the historical workers may not have fully appreciated.

- Industry Mining Partner

See how CNA

Hyperspectral Scanning

Unit works in the mining industry sites to produce imaging of drill cores in different locations.

The HSU’s capabilities provide more information to experts

in a cost-efficient, nondestructive way.

When used with other technologies, HSU reveals mineral compositions that may be too small to see with the naked eye transported to mining sites to produce imaging of drill cores.

Acadia-led pan-Atlantic collaboration creates green pest control

Utilizing a pan-Atlantic partnership led by Acadia University, researchers and industry have collaborated to develop eco-friendly pest monitoring and control products that disrupt the mating habits of insects as an alternative to using toxic chemicals.

Acadia biology professor Dr. Kirk Hillier worked with the research consortium and bio-control company Andermatt Biocontrol Canada to develop and commercialize products that use pheromones to detect insect pests and interfere with their reproduction cycles.

This natural approach is being used to battle notorious forest predators such as the Emerald Ash Borer, one of the most destructive pests in Canada.

The pheromone approach also targets agricultural problems such as as various flea beetles and the Blueberry Spanworm. It has also been used to control

The Acadia Office of Industry and Community Engagement has been a critical element in all aspects of these funding proposals. We’ve actually developed a whole series of new technologies....We’ve created over 50 positions for students, technicians and PhDs throughout the program as well. Lots of new jobs being created.

Dr. Kirk Hillier, Professor & Director, INSECTA (Insect NeuroScience and Ecology CenTre at Acadia)

Acadia University

See Dr. Hillier

discussing the research collaboration pests such as cockroaches and the Blueberry Flea Beatle. The Acadia-Andermatt collaboration has developed 13 products with sales of more than $1.37 million in addition to royalties. Pest management

products from this research are sold across Canada and around the world.

In addition to collaborating with industry, Acadia researchers worked with eight partners including Dalhousie, University of New Brunswick and governmental agriculture and forestry organizations. Read more

Canada’s Smartest Kitchen: a recipe for success

We don’t often think of a kitchen as a laboratory or cooks as scientists.

But that is exactly what is happening in Canada’s Smartest Kitchen (CSK) at Holland College, Charlottetown, PEI.

It is a state-of-the-art research and development kitchen that is working on the cutting edge of innovation in the food and beverage industry.

As the R&D arm of The Culinary Institute of Canada, based at Holland College, CSK integrates a multi-disciplinary approach into product development with their team of research chefs.

They collaborate with clientsranging from small-andmedium-sized food businesses and innovators to industry leaders such as the potato giant Cavendish Farms - to develop and market-test new food and beverage products, recipes and processes.

Springboard Atlantic has been, and remains, a valued partner and resource for CSK at Holland College. From navigating ecosystem R&D opportunities to direct supports for activity in our centre, Springboard Atlantic has helped us grow in the agri/aqua food sector.

Tim McRoberts, Director,

Canada’s Smartest Kitchen

Visit Canada’s Smartest Kitchen at Holland College

The CSK team has worked with partners across the regional food ecosystem. They have developed products such as a lobster dip with Royal Star Foods to expand their product line. They’ve collaborated with Deep Roots

Distillery to create innovative, proprietary beverage flavours to meet market & consumer trends. CSK has also supported the local not-for-profit organization PEI School Foods Inc. to develop nutritionally balanced and delicious menu items to meet the needs of a provincial school foods program, serving Grades K12.

Protecting the lobster industry through climate change

The Lobster Quality Centre (LQC) was created at Université Sainte-Anne to ensure the multi-billion-dollar lobster industry continues to thrive despite the challenges of climate change and declining lobster quality.

The LQC engages research, industry, and government to ensure that Nova Scotia’s lobster remains a top-quality product.

Lobster exports are worth billions in the Canadian economy.

As global demand grows for lobster, research and innovation play a pivotal role in sustaining this iconic Maritime resource.

The lobster fishery provides livelihoods for thousands of Nova Scotians, making it one of the most important economic drivers in the region

Studies have shown a decline in the quality of lobster harvested, stored and shipped to customers.

Be it for the betterment of our Acadian communities, the prosperity of rural Nova Scotia or the economic growth of our province as a whole, there is no more logical area than lobster for Université Sainte-Anne to focus its energies as it expands its research enterprise.

Dr. Kenneth Deveau, President and Vice-Chancellor, Université Sainte-Anne

To tackle the challenges associated with the observed changes in quality, the LQC provides improved harvesting and handling practices to industry stakeholders.

The LQC operates from laboratory facilities of both the Marine Research Centre (MRC) at the Petit-de-Grat campus and the new Lobster Quality Laboratory at the main campus in Church-Point.

The LQC is enhancing the value of the lobster industry by:

Understanding the determinants of lobster quality

Working with industry partners on specific projects ·Offering Training for handling and holding

SMU & Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia tackle toxic legacy of gold mine pollution

A Saint Mary’s University (SMU) research collaboration is tackling environmental pollution by developing new ways to clean abandoned gold mines and protect fragile wetlands in Nova Scotia.

SMU environmental professor Dr. Linda Campbell and her team are researching less invasive ways of cleaning up the toxic legacy of gold mining in the province.

The project is a collaboration with Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia, a subsidiary of Australia-based St. Barbara.

It is one of the largest industry collaborations ever undertaken by SMU. Over 300 gold mines are contaminated with mercury, arsenic and other toxic elements which are hazardous for wildlife, wetland habitats and humans.

Traditional remediation is expensive and destructive to the environment.

Saint Mary’s University’s research into environmentally sustainable and cost-effective remediation of historic gold mines across Nova Scotia aligns with our corporate commitments, namely growing sustainably, respecting the environment and stronger communities. We believe in learning from the past to secure our future and are proud to support the important work being done by Dr. Campbell and her team.

Andrew Strelein

Managing Director and CEO

Atlantic

Mining Nova Scotia

In 2019, cleanup costs of Crown lands were estimated at $48 million.

“We are currently wrangling with the consequences of decisions and actions made a long time ago,” says lead researcher Dr Campbell, from the Saint Mary’s School of the Environment.

The new techniques use a thin

layer of reactive material on the surface of wetlands to attract the toxic leftovers. The research is focused on achieving costeffective recovery of wetlands without endangering land and wildlife.

The new methods will have ecological and economic benefits for wetlands in Nova Scotia and around the world. Read more

Pairing vibrant seaweed ingredients to Western tastes

It has been said we first taste our food with our eyes. If a food looks colourful and attractive, it whets our appetite.

Researchers from Acadian Seaplants and Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) used this insight to develop Hana Tsunomata®, a colourful edible seaweed that can be added to food for a touch of colour and flavour.

Hana Tsunomata® displays a vibrant bouquet of pink, green and yellow pigments that draw attention to the eye.

Low in calories, it is rich in iron, magnesium and fibre, the product is also gluten-free and certified as vegan, Kosher and Halal.

The tri-coloured sea vegetable popular in Japanese and other Asian cuisines, but Acadian Seaplants wanted to appeal to Western tastes to expand into new markets.

The project we have with Dr. Bohdan Luhovyy is exciting and very practical from a commercial point of view. We are very pleased to be working with Dr. Luhovyy and his team because of their expertise, industry experience and their research infrastructure.

Dr. Jaouad Fichtali, Vice President of Research and Development, Human and Animal Wellness Acadian Seaplants

To address this challenge, Acadian Seaplants reached out to Dr. Bohdan Luhovyy and his research team, including Dr. Priya Kathirvel in the Applied Human Nutrition Departmentat MSVU.

The team formulated recipes using the colourful seaweed as an additive to popular foods.

Researchers conducted taste tests and measured characteristics such as texture, saltiness flavour, and aftertaste.

Hana Tsunomata® is on the market and a popular ingredient with chefs using it to complement seafood dishes, salads and wraps.

UMoncton research helps develop plant-based edible oil

Researchers at Université de Moncton contributed to a breakthrough discovery in plant-based dietary supplements which offer some of the highest non-genetically modified levels of Omega-3 fatty acids available on the market.

Clinical trials conducted on the Ahiflower (Buglossoides arvensis) oil helped an industry partner, Natures Crops International, develop the nutritional supplement, now sold around the world

It is one of the largest private industry collaborations ever undertaken at UMoncton.

Professors Marc Surrette and Martin Filion worked with the company to develop an edible oil made from the seeds of Ahiflower.

The oil is an alternative to fish-oil and is suitable for vegans or people who don’t like the

Regenerative (agriculture) is about giving back more than you take. So we’re trying to work with farmers to say how you can enrich the environment in which you are growing.

Enrichment might be a better habitat for bees and worms and butterflies. It might be giving back more biomass into the fields instead of taking it away.

Andrew Hebard,

CEO & founder Natures Crops International

fishy taste of marine-based Omega-3 supplements.

According to Natures Crops, the product is a regenerative source of Omega-3 fatty acids because the Ahiflower can be grown in nature rather than extracted from nature. The Ahiflower oil also contains Omega-6 fatty acids. The UMoncton study

demonstrated that volunteers who took Ahiflower oil had four times the Omega-3 fatty acids in their systems compared to those who took flaxseed oil.

Since the research was completed, Natures Crops has opened an oil extraction plant in Prince Edward Island.

NBCC helps HotSpot take the pain out of parking

How many times have you found a place to park and then realized you had no change for the parking meter?

An app developed and commercialized with New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) solves this problem by allowing drivers to park coin-free in towns and cities across Canada.

Fredericton-based HotSpot Parking is a user friendly, digital technology that allows motorist to pay for on-street parking using a credit card

It has been adopted in cities, towns and university campuses across North America.

The software that powers HotSpot was developed by the NBCC Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Research Group led by Dr. William McIver, Jr.

His team also developed the alpha software prototype for

HotSpot Parking has been a proud partner of NBCC since 2018. NBCC students, recent graduates, instructors, and the Centre for Applied Research in Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing have all helped our company to prosper...NBCC has helped HotSpot innovate to expand services to new markets and grow from eight staff in 2018 to 40 staff today with over half NBCC grads.

Phillip Curley, CEO & Founder HotSpot Parking

See how the Hotspot parking app works

HotSpot Parking’s license plate recognition system.

The startup now employs more than 40, with half of those consisting of NBCC students and graduates from the college’s IT programs and applied research projects.

NBCC students have also worked on several projects for HotSpot as part of their program workintegrated learning requirements, including contributing to the company’s licence plate recognition software and bus tracking applications used by people across Canada.

NSCC & Indigenous knowledge nurturing sustainable sweetgrass cultivation

Sweetgrass has been woven into Indigenous culture and medicine in Atlantic Canada for generations.

A community-led collaboration between Indigenous communities and researchers at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) is supporting sustainable sweetgrass cultivation in the community. The goal is to integrate traditional and Western knowledge to make sweetgrass more accessible to its users

The research blends traditional knowledge passed on by Elders with ecology to optimize conditions for growing sweetgrass using modern agricultural methods such as fertilizer and raised garden beds. As the project evolved, it became apparent that bringing sweetgrass closer to the communities that use it would be the best way to ensure the plant’s survival. The research is a partnership between the

They get to learn the ancient tradition of sweetgrass collection and, in the process, become teachers for the generations yet to come. Domesticating sweetgrass in community mother beds is providing access to this sacred plant and restoring culturally significant areas, all while allowing each community to determine its path.

Matt Chiasson, Cumulative Effects Coordinator Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq

Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq (CMM), Unama'Ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) and NSCC researchers. NSCC project lead Rachel Kendall said Indigenous knowledge and experience has been instrumental in this project. They have been cultivating and propagating sweetgrass for centuries.

“This is something I wouldn’t have thought of without

engaging in a meaningful conversation with a community member,” said Kendall. The research used technology such as environmentally controlled growth chambers for germinating seeds and growth measurement tools. It also embraced a non-intrusive approach of letting the plant thrive in nature is an effective method for cultivating sweetgrass. Read more

Transforming the lobster industry in Atlantic Canada

The Lobster Food File project has made connections between the industry and research to tackle challenges faced by the lucrative lobster industry in Atlantic Canada.

The project, launched by Springboard and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), organized provincial and a pan-Atlantic Ocean to Plate events to identify key issues facing lobster harvesters, processers, shippers and buyers.

ACOA provided over $100,000 to the project with Springboard member institutions contributing an additional $17,500 with $5,000 from NSERC

Twelve projects were funded, and the following are examples of outcomes:

Sustainable Lobster Sausages –

Researchers at NSCC teamed up with lobster processing

It was a concerted effort to bring the whole industry together and we were able to identify that all of them are facing very similar problems. Through this we have bridged a gap, showing that we can work together.

Katrin Sommerfeld, Springboard Lobster Food File

companies to develop recipes for lobster sausages using lobster by-products that would otherwise be go to waste.

Better Lobster Bait – Fishery

organizations collaborated with researchers at Memorial and StFX to study bait alternatives to herring and mackerel species under pressure.

Lobster processing robot - A robot was developed by researchers at Université de Moncton to automate lobster processing to speed up the work and alleviate labour shortages.

CBU develops sustainable charcoal alternative

A Cape Breton University (CBU) chemistry professor has been working on a sustainable alternative to charcoal called biochar for years.

Biochar is produced by pyrolysis which is the process of heating organic waste materials in the absence of oxygen.

Biochar can be made from a variety of waste streams and has a wide range of applications, from remediating contaminated water sources to fertilizing agricultural soil.

Dr. Stephanie MacQuarrie collaborates with local, provincial, and national partners to utilize various waste materials, including wood, agricultural, and food waste, as biomass for producing biochar.

One of these longstanding partnerships is with Louisburg Seafoods, which processes over three million pounds of crab annually.

Louisbourg Seafoods welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. MacQuarrie and her team at CBU. The expertise they provide allows us to consider important options for product diversification and waste management opportunities. We look forward to continued research collaborations and the opportunities they bring as a result of our longtime partnership.

Allan MacLean, Louisbourg Seafoods Senior Operations Manager

Hear about the collaboration between CBU and Louisbourg Seafoods

While the legs and shoulders are primarily marketed, the crab bodies, which make up almost 30% of the harvested crab, are left with no market value and need to be disposed of properly

Disposal has been a challenge for the company due to the smell from decaying crab bodies, the cost of disposal, and the lack of sustainable approaches.

Through the collaboration with Dr. MacQuarrie's research team, producing of high-value biochar from crab waste has been established and is being explored.

CCNB & Acadian Seaplants make sustainable fertilizer

When seaweed company Acadian Seaplants wanted to make an eco-friendly fertilizer from seaweed, it sought help from Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) in Grand Falls, NB.

Chemists in the CCNB’s Bioprocessing Centre helped the company manufacture a plant bio-stimulant made from rockweed, a seaweed species the company harvests in Atlantic Canada.

CCNB researchers tested a combination of micro-organisms to transform the rockweed into a high-value product that can be used to promote the growth and health of plants.

“We had to find a way to transform their by-product into a high-value substance without using chemicals or solvents,” said Mike Doucette, Executive Director of Contract Training and Customized Learning for CCNB.

We needed to find a process to help us use 100% of the valuable seaweed biomass and create a new product. Thanks to the Springboard network, they put us in touch with the CCNB research group in Grand Falls who are known for their work in transforming biomass at the pilot scale - a perfect match for us!

Kevin Shiell, Formulations Manager Acadian Seaplants

Learn about the collaboration between Acadian Seaplants and CCNB

“CCNB decided that bioprocessing would be the best option.”

The research was funded by a grant from National Science and

Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

Acadian Seaplants, based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is a world leader in the processing of seaweed-based products for various markets, including food, biochemical, and agri-chemical industries.

Mount Allison company helps websites get discovered

The Internet is a big, crowded place, but if your website can’t be found, it can be a lonely place too, especially for an e-commerce business selling products and services.

Metafy, a company founded by Mount Allison University professors Dr. Lauren Beck and Dr. Michael Cormier, is boosting the online presence of websites and improving the experience of users.

Beck and Cormier started Metafy in 2020 as the world was confronting the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They recognized the urgent need for businesses and individuals to connect digitally using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools tat are inclusive in their reach.

Metafy delivers SEO tools to small and medium-sized businesses to help them get discovered on the Internet.

Our mission is rooted in the belief that, through this human-centered approach to SEO and metadata, we will help our customers grow their businesses, create a better online experience for customers, and make the digital world more accessible, inclusive, and socially-responsible –one website at a time. With Springboard’s support, we were able to take our Beta app to market to get early user feedback.

Dr. Lauren Beck, co-founder Metafy

Professor, Visual & Material Culture Studies

Mount Allison University

Metafy’s flagship product is MetaCrawl which analyzes metadata on a website using machine learning.

It provides a summary of metadata issues and makes suggestions for changes

The tool takes a unique “humancentered” approach to SEO.

Metafy has launched a paid beta version of MetaCrawl that is currently available to the public along with a free trial.

R&D is ongoing, and there are plans to implement several improvements and new functionalities.

STU guiding seniors through hallways of care

For St. Thomas University researcher Dr. Michelle Lafrance, developing the guide for aging in New Brunswick guide was personal.

Shortly after she began working on the project to help New Brunswickers navigate healthcare and homecare, her own father was diagnosed with dementia.

Suddenly, the project became very real for Lafrance.

She led a team of researchers who developed Aging in New Brunswick: A Users Guide.

It helps seniors and caregivers find the resources and support they need.

The guide simplifies the complex array of healthcare options, making it easier for users to understand.

This is particularly valuable in a province where the healthcare

The guide was put together by researchers and practitioners in New Brunswick who work with older adults. Our aim was to help older adults in New Brunswick navigate the complex landscape of information, services, forms, and resources.

There is no one-stop shop for services and healthcare issues for seniors in the province. This is our team’s attempt at putting the information all in one place.

Dr. Michelle Lafrance, Professor of Psychology, St. Thomas University

system is facing challenges such as underfunding and staffing shortages.

By streamlining the information, the guide reduces the administrative load on healthcare providers, allowing them to focus more on patient care rather than fielding basic inquiries.

The guide has become an essential tool in the province, helping to alleviate some of the stress associated with aging and healthcare navigation.

STU collaborated with researchers from Université de Moncton and University of New Brunswick.

Content: A collaboration of the Springboard Network

Production: Springboard Central Office

Date: September, 2024