The Nova Scotian government on Tuesday said it would contribute $5 million to the new Neptune BioInnovation Centre in Dartmouth, a month after the federal government announced a grant of the same size for the biomanufacturing facility.
The Province said in a press release it hopes to help transform the 4,738-square-metre (51,000 square feet) facility into state-of-the-art wet and dry labs that will offer commercial-scale precision fermentation and spray drying capacity. Neptune aims to become a world-leading biofermentation location working in areas such as smart materials, bioplastics, functional foods, green chemicals, therapeutics and alternative proteins.
"This will ensure companies scale and build commercial plants here, generating a critical domestic green supply chain for Canadian manufacturers to compete here and in Europe.”
The new centre is a multi-user facility that is the first of its kind in Canada and one of three in the world, the press release said. It is projected to create more than 2,400 jobs, $175 million in salaries and $74 million in tax revenue, and contribute $334 million annually to the province’s gross domestic product.
The centre is being developed as an $18-million public-private partnership with funding also committed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) and cleantech firm Dispersa.
Citing research from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Boston Consulting, the partners earlier said the global bioeconomy is projected to be worth US$7.7 trillion annually by 2030.
Until November, Mason was the CEO of the Verschuren Centre in Sydney, an innovation hub dedicated to supporting sustainable businesses. It is known for its fermentation facilities that allow companies to pilot new sustainable products.
