Innovate B.C. awards $1.5M to 5 R&D projects

VANCOUVER — Through its Ignite program, Innovate B.C. has awarded $1.5 million across five B.C.-based research and development projects focused on developing solutions that equip industries to address priority challenges. Project areas include accessibility in healthcare, emissions reduction in mining, etc.

“We are proud to deliver the Ignite program, which provides critical funding to drive the commercial success of cutting-edge solutions coming out of industry and academic partnerships in British Columbia,” said Peter Cowan, president and CEO of Innovate B.C. “These innovations not only address some of the province’s most pressing challenges, but also help promote productivity and growth in key industries, ultimately contributing to a prosperous economy that benefits all British Columbians.”

Ignite accelerates the commercialization of solutions in clean technology, engineering, and life science projects developed through collaboration between industry and academia, awarding up to $300,000 per project. The following projects were selected based on their promising commercial and technical viability as well as their ability to be market ready within three years.

Clean technologies: Ideon Technologies and Dr. Shaun Barker of the University of British Columbia are collaborating on a project to develop a new application of cosmic-ray muon tomography for mapping and modelling block-caves to mine minerals critical to energy transition. Through this approach, critical minerals can be mined in a safer, more efficient and accurate way, with reduced environmental impact compared to traditional mining methods.

Food sciences: Peqish Group, Food and Hospitality and Anubhav Pratap-Singh of the University of British Columbia are collaborating on a project to develop fat mimetics containing dietary fibers derived from chia as a low-calorie replacement for ingredients like palm oil. With a substantial reduction in saturated and unsaturated fats, this approach aims to increase the amount of healthy food options, helping tackle lifestyle-related conditions like diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Clean technologies: Rockburst Technologies and Dr. Bern Klein of the University of British Columbia are collaborating on a project to develop a method of identifying and extracting valuable minerals by using CO2 to pulverize ore, reducing the need for the heavy machinery and energy typically used in traditional crushing methods. This approach will substantially reduce the emissions output of this phase of the mining value chain, making the process more environmentally friendly, as well as more cost-effective.

Clean technologies: Viridis Research and Neil Branda of Simon Fraser University are collaborating on a project to develop a first-of-its-kind water treatment technology that eliminates, by way of full mineralization, dyes, toxic chemicals, surfactants and microplastics from textile wastewater. This approach can unlock water recycling and reuse in the textile manufacturing sector, helping preserve water resources and protect the environment from harmful pollutants, with the potential to eliminate single-use water across industries.

Life sciences and advanced health: Geno10X Biosciences, Gene Bio Medical, Michael Adachi and Peter Unrau of Simon Fraser University are collaborating on a project to develop a new point of care (POC) diagnostic platform that combines rapid, highly sensitive HPV urine testing methods with advanced AI-algorithms. This approach will help predict risk of developing diseases such as cervical and anal cancer in a faster, more cost-effective and non-invasive way, while improving accessibility and responsiveness within the healthcare system.