Backed by a $5 million federal grant, a new 51,000-square-foot bioinnovation hub is opening in Dartmouth to offer badly needed lab and bio-manufacturing facilities to a range of customers.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency last week issued a press release unveiling the grant to Neptune BioInnovation Inc., a new non-profit that will oversea the facility. Neptune will take over an existing building in the city, transforming it into a multi-user facility that the government says will be unique in Canada.

“This incredible example of shared investment is critical to de-risk and commercialize a multitude of cutting-edge Canadian technologies, building an essential green supply chain for Canadian manufacturing, targeting sustainable domestic economic growth while advancing climate-change solutions for our domestic industries,” said Dr. Beth Mason, who will be the Director of the new Neptune BioInnovation Centre.

The government said the new complex will help Canada to compete globally, strengthen domestic supply chains, and foster biotechnology advancements across critical sectors. Citing research from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Boston Consulting, it said the global bioeconomy is projected to be worth US$7.7 trillion annually by 2030.

The Neptune BioInnovation Centre will be headquartered in an under-used building on a 12.3-acre lot in Dartmouth. It will offer leasable wet and dry lab space, warehouse and office spaces, and commercial-scale precision fermentation, contract manufacturing operations and spray drying capacity.

It will provide shared industrial space, contract manufacturing, spray drying, and precision fermentation in quantities of up to 100,000 litres, enabling companies to scale locally instead of leaving Canada. The opening of the facility should help to address the shortfall of wet labs in the Halifax area, which life sciences companies often say inhibits growth in the local bio-industry.

The government said in the press release the centre will help companies that are creating: new materials to displace petrochemicals; innovative therapeutics for better health; functional food ingredients with reduced resource demand; green chemical solutions; and biodegradable plastics and materials.

As well as managing the facility, the non-profit Neptune BioInnovation Inc. is responsible for the contract manufacturing operation, customer service, and attracting national and international clientele.

A statement from Invest Nova Scotia said the new facility would boosts biomanufacturing capacity and foster collaboration between academia, industry, and government. “For companies in life sciences, biotech, cleantech, and ocean industries, Nova Scotia just became an even more compelling place to innovate and grow,” it said.

Until November, Mason had been 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. Mason was one of the driving forces behind Cape Breton’s AscendBio program, which helped companies develop in the Sydney area with access to the Verschuren facilities.