Cape Breton Biotech Facility Expands with $1.2 Million

A Cape Breton biotechnology facility is receiving $1.2 million in government funding to expand its precision fermentation operation and train more workers.

The Verschuren Centre at Sydport Industrial Park will receive $600,000 from Nova Scotia’s Community Economic Development Fund and $600,000 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

More capacity and new technical training

The centre operates a 10,000-litre precision fermentation line, a specialized facility often called 10X. The equipment helps companies test and scale products used in areas such as food production, health, agriculture and clean technology.

The investment is expected to let the centre support ten additional companies each year and contribute to the creation of about 100 skilled jobs.

Part of the funding will expand an in-house training program delivered with the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick. The program is designed to prepare technicians for work in fermentation, electronics, automation and process engineering.

Nova Scotia previously provided $2.5 million toward the demonstration plant in 2022 and another $1 million for capacity and training in 2025. ACOA says its total support for the project now stands at $4.6 million.

Read the provincial news release.