Invest Nova Scotia has announced the latest recipients of money from its Early Stage Commercialization Fund for university research, rolling over a program from the days of Innovacorp. Also bundled with the announcement are recipients from fall 2022.
The fund offers startups up to $50,000 for assessing their products’ market potential, developing go-to-market strategies and other planning, finishing of proof-of-concept, prototyping and leveraging other funds.
This time, Invest Nova Scotia has also partnered with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables to offer a low-carbon commercialization stream, with the two organizations jointly developing the evaluation process and curriculum.
While the funding is tied to applications from individual researchers, rather than companies, Entrevestor readers may recognize several of the names on the list. They include ABK Biomedical CEO Daniel Boyd, whose company in December closed a US$30 million Series C funding round, as well as Sean Myles, whose startup, Foodimprover, is developing gene-editing technology for apples. Myles’s funding is associated with his Foodimprover research, while Boyd’s appears to be tied to a new, dental technology project.
Here's a look at the funding recipients:
Fall 2022
DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
Researcher: Jean-Francois Bousquet
Project: Sensors to support underwater wireless networks in the ocean
Researcher: Daniel Boyd
Project: Antibacterial particle technology to prevent dental caries
Researcher: Paola Marcato
Project: Enzyme-blocking drug therapy for cancer treatment
Researcher: Christopher McMaster
Project: Drug treatment for childhood muscular dystrophy
Researcher: Sean Myles
Project: Genome editing technology to improve apples
Researcher: Shannon Sterling
Project: Technology that increases a river’s capacity to trap and deliver CO2 for storage in the ocean (ESCF funding matched by DNRR)
NOVA SCOTIA HEALTH AUTHORITY
Researcher: Chadwick Williams
Project: Software to enable faster patient recruitment into clinical trials
Winter 2023
DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
Researcher: Raymond Klein
Project: Portable, gamified cognitive assessment tool
Researcher: Christian Lehmann
Project: Treatment for bacterial cystitis
NOVA SCOTIA HEALTH AUTHORITY
Researcher: Emily Johnston
Project: Post-operative pain management software
Researcher: Jennifer Johnston
Project: Non-hormonal contraceptive device
Researcher: Ivan Wong
Project: Virtual mixed reality surgical training platform
