Bioinnovation centre positions NS as leader in life sciences

From the Springboard Content Lab

Nova Scotia will soon be a major player in the bioinnovation space thanks to the newly opened Neptune BioInnovation Centre in Dartmouth.

The centre will transform Nova Scotia’s bioindustrial landscape and will be a world-leading biofermentation centre, allowing Nova Scotia to compete globally, strengthen domestic supply chains and foster biotechnology advancements across critical sectors, including life sciences, pharmaceuticals, forestry and agriculture.

The Province of Nova Scotia invested $5 million in the facility in April. In March, the federal government announced a contribution of $5 million.

World-class bioinnovation facility

The Neptune BioInnovation Centre is a world-class, multi-user facility that is the first of its kind in Canada and one of three in the world. 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.

L-R: Beth Mason, Director, Neptune BioInnovation Centre; Colton LeBlanc, Minister of Growth and Development; and Brianna Orr Stratton, founder and CEO of DeNova, a biotechnology company and tenant of the new Neptune BioInnovation Centre, at the announcement (Province of Nova Scotia)

“This Neptune asset and planned expansion are a game-changer for the N.S. and Canadian biomanufacturing sector, building the largest capacity in Canada. 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.”

— Beth Mason, Director, Neptune BioInnovation Centre

Strengthening the biomanufacturing sector creates opportunities, supports Canadian production and moves our country towards a more sustainable future. The Government of Canada is investing to help position Nova Scotia as a leader in life sciences, clean tech, health tech and precision fermentation.

Building biomanufacturing, clean tech capacity in region

The federal and provincial investments will help transform the 4,738-square-metre (51,000 square feet) facility into new state-of-the-art wet and dry labs that will offer commercial-scale precision fermentation and spray drying capacity.

In March, the Centre received funding of $5 million from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program, which helps businesses speed up their growth so they can be more productive, compete on the world stage and reach new markets by making the most of new technologies, improving productivity and creating new products.

Colton LeBlanc, Minister of Growth and Development, announces the Province is investing $5 million in the Neptune BioInnovation Centre in Dartmouth. (Province of Nova Scotia)

The funding will help transform an underutilized facility in Dartmouth into a fully equipped multi-user space for innovation and industry that will enable Canada to compete globally, strengthen domestic supply chains, and foster biotechnology advancements across critical sectors. 

Facility to create jobs and support sustainability

It will provide shared industrial space, contract manufacturing, spray drying, and precision fermentation up to 100,000L, enabling companies to scale locally instead of leaving Canada.

A one-of-a-kind facility in Canada, the Neptune BioInnovation Centre (NBC) will encourage biotechnology advancements in areas such as smart materials, bioplastics, functional foods, green chemicals, therapeutics and alternative proteins. It will attract users locally and from across Canada and globally.

As NBC grows, there will be job creation, measurable progress toward sustainable development goals and a stronger domestic supply chain to address environmental and human health challenges.

Quick facts

• The centre will strengthen Nova Scotia’s domestic supply chains and promote biotechnology advancements in areas such as smart materials, bioplastics, functional foods, green chemicals, therapeutics and alternative proteins
• The Neptune BioInnovation Centre (NBC), a 51,000 sq ft facility on a 12.3-acre lot in Dartmouth, will offer leasable wet and dry lab space, warehouse and office spaces, and commercial scale precision fermentation, Contract Manufacturing Operation (CMO) and spray drying capacity.
• The centre is an $18-million public-private partnership with funding committed by the Province, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) and cleantech firm Dispersa
• NGen is an industry-led, non-profit organization leading the country’s global innovation cluster for advanced manufacturing
• Neptune BioInnovation Inc., a not-for-profit organization, is responsible for facilities management, CMO operation, customer service, and attraction of national and international clientele.
• The centre will help companies who are creating: smart materials to displace harmful petrochemicals and reduce GHG emissions; innovative therapeutics for better health; functional food ingredients with reduced resource demand; green chemical solutions to reduce the industry’s environmental footprint; and biodegradable plastics and materials to reduce pollution and environmental destruction.
• By 2030, the global bioeconomy is projected to reach $7.7 trillion USD annually. (A business opportunity contributing to a sustainable world | World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Boston Consulting Group)